Second Chance
by fordcountrygirl
Summary: Eden Blackmoore is sent to make sure Bob Lee Swagger doesn't make the biggest mistake of his life. Problem is that she didn't expect the sparks that would fly between them as they fight for their lives and the freedom of a nation.
1. Chapter 1

_**I don't know about anyone else but I defiantly think is movie is one of mark whalbergs best to date. I decided to go a little further with it though. If all the facts aren't exactly as they were in the movie I apologize. This is my third fanfic so hopefully im getting better. Thanks for all the reviews and keep them coming. Enjoy**_

_**I own nothing dealing with the movie shooter. All other characters and situations are mine.**_

_**Chapter One**_

_**Just because I'm the youngest doesn't mean they have to stick me with the crappy jobs; **_she grumbled, going over what seemed to be the millionth bump of the day.

As the only daughter of Charles Blackmore and the youngest of four Eden Blackmore was use to having to defend herself. And getting the shaft when it came to running errands for their family security firm.

Started over twelve years ago when she'd first been forging her career in the Navy FLJ Security Incorporated had grown from the spare room in her parents Victorian home to a six thousand square foot one story complex in the Washington D.C. business district. Charlie as he liked to be called; had built his reputation on trust, honesty, and integrity. All of the things he had installed in each of his children. Of course his stellar reputation in both the Navy and Marines during his thirty plus years of service didn't hurt either.

At first it had been her father and a couple of his buddies taking care of the cases that had come in. Though they were all in incredibly good shape there was only so much a group of sixty year old men could handle. Stubborn as all get out her father had refused to ask any of the kids to help when they were home on leave. Or hire anyone to help take some of it off his shoulders. Contributing it to the fact that he didn't trust anyone but family. And that they all had their own lives to live.

So taking matters into their own hands they'd called a family meeting of sorts. The oldest of her brothers Todd had revealed that he'd had enough of the Army Rangers; having lost a couple of good friends during his last mission. He had been the first to join. That had been five years after Charlie had first started FLJ. A year later Chris; the second oldest; had decided not to re-enlist with the Air Force after seventeen years as a Delta Force Operator. Two years after that the youngest son Michael came on board; his stint with the Marines more then enough for him.

Last but not least to join was herself. The only one to follow their fathers footsteps in the Navy. Unlike him though her road to becoming a SEAL hadn't been all sunshine and roses. Most people didn't realize that woman were aloud in the special forces. Due to the fact that the government liked to keep it hush hush. Woman's rights may have come a long way in the last hundred years but there were still those who believed that a woman shouldn't be allowed in a mans world. Fortunately and unfortunately for her she'd had teammates on both sides of the fence. The ones who believed she could do it outweighed those who didn't; which made things easier.

Winning over her former CO had been harder then any mission in any god forsaken country she'd been sent to. Lieutenant Commander Hanes was of the old school mentality that a woman's place was in the home. So even though she'd passed through BUD/S training with flying colors; coming out top of her class; he'd still had a problem with the fact that she had breasts.

That had all changed after their first mission. One that had cemented her place on the Commanders good list; and changed her life forever. Sometimes she could still hear the sound of the automatic gunfire as it flew over head. Feel the heat from the Blackhawk that had caught fire from being hit in the gas tank.

Rubbing a hand over her left shoulder as she came to the end of what had to be the longest driveway ever Eden was reminded of the pain that had shot through it as she'd had no choice but to crawl on it. Dragging Chief Tillman with the other as enemy fire reigned down. Getting to the safety of the rock out cropping the only thing on her mind.

Placing those thoughts aside for another time she shut the car off; making sure all the windows were closed and keys in hand before she stepped into the cool mountain air. It was only September but already the leaves on the oak trees had started to change; littering the ground with a blanket of red, gold, and orange.

Grateful for the quilted jacket she wore over her t-shirt Eden felt the gravel crunch under her feet as she made her way towards the front porch. Even though she knew she shouldn't the ex-SEAL couldn't help but make a detour down the little path to the left. Ending in a ridge that gave an amazing view of the mountains and their snow covered peaks . Pine and oak mixed together for the woodsy scent she loved so much. Closing her eyes she breathed deep; relaxing for the first time since her flight had landed.

Being here today; in the middle of no where freaking Wyoming; was a matter of national security. Of all the things she'd done in her life; both civilian and military; this was one of the most important. All of it riding on the answer of one man who for all they knew had already made a huge mistake that couldn't be reversed even if she tried.

Opening her eyes she was about to turn around when she felt a gun barrel pressed against her temple. This guy really was as good as her father claimed him to be. No wonder he was the only one the agency thought of to use.

"Don't scream and I might decide not to shot you." A gruff voice commanded.

"Is talking aloud?" Eden wondered.

"Depends on what you've got to say." He answered.

"And if you don't like the answer?" Eden commented.

"Then I'll change my mind and pull the trigger." He stated. "Either way it's a no win situation for you."

Having had more guns pointed at her then she cared to remember Eden made no notice that the one pushed against her flesh made any never mind to her as she reached around. Grabbing the hand that held the gun she placed a finger in the pressure point at the base of the mans wrist. At the same time she wrapped her other arm around his throat; squeezing as she lashed out with her foot. Bracing herself against the impact of both their bodies hitting the ground she tightened her hold on the assailants neck.

Barely breathing hard she let go of him abruptly and stood; dusting off her clothes. Her earlier actions hadn't been necessary given everything she'd read on the man still on his knees. He would rather shoot his self then attack a woman. It never hurt however to show that if need be she could and would take care of herself.

"Now." Eden paused; waiting until he was facing her before continuing. "Seems how I've just turned this into a win-win situation for the both of us do you mind giving me a chance to explain why I'm here."

For a second she didn't think he was going to take the hand she offered; eyes wearily moving to the gun a foot away. Side stepping she reached out with her foot and getting a good hold with the toe of her boot tossed it up in the air right into her hand. In the next motion she removed the clip and the round in the chamber. Tossing it all over in the bushes she again held out her hand.

Distrust and curiosity warred against each other in the depths of his blue green eyes. Eyes that had seen too much. Too much death. Too much destruction. The old saying was that the eyes were the windows to the soul. In this case these windows were dark and bottomless. Probably once filled with life so many years ago. Despite all that she still felt herself getting lost in them. Of wanting to try to save this man who's spirit had been ripped away three years ago on that mountain top in Ethiopia.

"Most people around here don't know how to defend themselves like that. Especially the woman." He finally spoke.

"Well I'm not like most woman." Eden confessed. "Which you'll come to find if you agree to what I have to say."

At the last part the hand that clasped hers for some help up tightened considerably. It was a strong grip; rough with calluses and dry skin. Nothing less then what she'd expect from a Marine scout sniper.

"What ever it is your sellin' I'm not buyin'. So you can get back in that fancy rental vehicle of yours and drive on out of here." He cut her off before she could say anymore.

She'd been expecting this when her father had enlisted her to come all the way here. She'd also been told to pull out all the stops in order to get him to agree to what she had to say. So here goes nothing.

"That's all well and good but I can assure you I'm not selling anything." Eden explained.

"Good." He turned away from her to head towards the back porch of his home. "Then this should be the end of our conversation."

Not that she didn't enjoy looking at his backside a little too much; but Eden had been sent here to do a job and she'd be damned if it didn't get done.

"I know about the men who were just here to see you Mr. Swagger. And I can guarantee they are definitely not who they seem." She called to his retreating form.

Midway up the third step he stopped in his tracks; hand poised over the rail. Shoulders only slightly tensed; anybody who wasn't trained on what to look for would miss it.

"You must be mistaken miss. No ones been up here but me; and now you; in a very long time."

Back still to her; hand now clenched on the rail Eden knew he was bluffing. Just like she also knew his mistrust of her had gone up several notches with that last statement. Just before she'd gotten out of the car she'd had the common sense to hide a hunting knife at the small of her back. Hopefully she wouldn't have to use it. After several seconds of silence she decided to forge ahead; taking any chance she could to get this over with as soon as possible.

"I can tell by the way your acting that I'm right." She paused. "I also know that you don't trust me; or them; as far as you can throw us. But I can assure you that what I'm about to explain has the ability to change your mind."

Finally he turned to her; face void of expression. The huge dog she had noticed accompanying him looking just as sober as his master.

"What makes you think I even listened to them? Or that I'm going to listen to you?" Swagger wondered.

"Because he told you his name was Colonel Isaac Johnson. And he threw one of these in your face." Eden tossed a small black box at him. "Which hit the patriotic nail right on the head."

Giving him credit for not so much as twitching when he saw the Congressional Medal of Honor in the black velvet she braced herself for the usual question. And just like everyone else he didn't disappoint.

"It is yours?"

Sighing; sick of hearing that same comment what seemed like a dozen times a week Eden slowly edged forward. Taking it as a good sign when he didn't move away. Or draw another weapon on her.

"As surprising as it may seem; yes. I did something stupid that kept a lot of people alive." She explained.

"Saving lives isn't doing something stupid." Swagger whispered.

'So I've been told." Eden agreed; trying not to get caught off guard by the hurt and pain in his voice.

Silence settled over them as Swagger clutched the medal; debating with his self about what to do. Part of him wanted to believe her; to hear what she had to say. Another wanted to tell her to get the hell off his land and never come back. Thankfully the former won out as he tossed the box back to her.

"You've got five minutes." He told her.

It was more then what she'd been expecting so the young SEAL didn't argue as she followed the gunnery sergeant into the house by way of a wide, stained deck.

Inside the door screamed backwoods patriot. To the front was a kitchen; barren save for the basic necessities and a small wooden table with one chair. The once dark green paint on the walls had started to fade. Every other wall in the house reflected the outside log cabin feel. What looked to be a huge living room with a space off to the right was made into a kind of make shift office was as barren as the kitchen. A couch and recliner covered with camouflage blankets and one pillow each was all that made the place look lived in. No coffee table; no TV. Not even a lamp.

On the desk sat a stack of books next to a small chrome reading lamp. A holder for pens and pencils, a stapler, and a legal pad took up one corner. In the center sat a lab top. Simple black and thin as a notebook it may have looked like nothing special but was the best money could buy.

The only indication that he even tried to make the place his own was the huge United States Marine blanket hanging on the wall in the living room. Underneath that was a replica of the gun he used to shoot once upon a time.

Above his desk hung his desert helmet; last name across the front. Other then some hunting pictures of who she assumed were him and his father there was nothing to indicate he'd called this place home for the last three years.

"Nice place." Eden felt compelled to say something.

"It suits me just fine." Swagger spoke. "I'd offer you something to drink but your not gonna be here long enough to finish it."

"I guess living in the hills tends to erase a persons manners." Eden commented.

"My parents tried to teach me some but it never stuck." Swagger countered. "Clocks ticking so you better start talkin."

"Colonel Isaac Johnson is not who he claims to be. Yes he did use to be a full blood colonel in the army at one point; but no longer. And the bit he told you about the assassination on the president was a bunch of bullshit. Johnson works for a senator from Montana by the name of Charles Beecham. A man interested in only one thing; a pipeline through Ethiopia. Only the arch bishop and his people are standing in his way." Eden started.

"And what exactly does that have to do with the assassination of the president?" Swagger interrupted.

"The president has three public appearances in the next week and a half. One of them in Philadelphia were he'll present the arch bishop with a medal." Eden continued.

"I'm still not seeing the connection." Swagger told her.

"If you'd stop being an ass and interrupting me every five seconds I might be able to tell you." Eden shot back.

For a second she thought he was going to say something smart ass in response. He surprised her for the second time in a matter of an hour by doing nothing more then gesturing with his hand; and saying one simple word.

"Sorry."

"It's okay; I guess." Eden shrugged. All the fight left her when he'd kept his mouth shut . So all she could do was continue. "What's the perfect way to get rid of a high profile government official?"

Waiting for him to ponder that for a moment she took the time to study him out of the corner of her eye. He wasn't as tall as she'd expected. Only about five inches taller then her own five six. Bob Lee Swagger was a very well built and solid man however. Even under the flannel and thermal shirt he wore his muscles were well defined. Broad shoulders and a guaranteed six pack narrowed into a slim waist and sinewy legs. Though he was covered from head to toe she would bet all the medals in her case at home that if she was to see him in nothing more then his birthday suit her guesses would be dead on.

_**Stop thinking about him like that! Concentrate on his face. That'll get your mind out of the gutter, **_Eden chastised herself.

One look at that strong jaw line covered in a growth of beard and all those thoughts went right out the window. Everything about the slopes and lines of his face made it look as if it had been carved out of granite. Watching as he bit his lower lip there was a sudden urge deep inside to walk over and kiss him senseless.

"Like what you see sweetheart?" Swagger questioned.

Feeling her cheeks heat Eden prayed they hadn't turned red as she walked over and looked him square in the eye. Or at least tried too. That man could've been ugly as all get out but had the same piercing eyes and she'd be gone. Blue green as she assumed earlier they had a slight ring of brown around them they captured your attention right away. Despite what he had said they were still sad; still pained with the memories of something no one should have to see. If she didn't harden her heart against them right now she would be in serious trouble if he agreed to help them.

"First off the names Eden. Secondly there's no denying the fact that I do because your trained to read people. So now that I've answered your question do you mind answering mine?" She spat.

Those same lips she'd been contemplating kissing turned up into a half smirk of sorts as he stood to his full height. Arms crossed over his chest he was even more intimidating with only a foot separating them then ten feet. That however was something she was use to; being a woman in a mans world. What got to her was the reaction she was having to the ex-marine so soon after meeting him.

"In that case I'd have to say the feelings mutual. And as far as your question goes I guess making it look like that person was after the archbishop would be the easiest way to go now wouldn't it." Swagger offered.

Not answering would be a confirmation; however small it may be; that he'd caught her off guard. That she'd been hoping he was having the same flip-flopping reaction she was. So instead she let her sarcastic side loose; something she didn't do very often.

"I guess all Marines aren't jar heads after all."

That got his undivided attention. But not the kind she'd been looking for as he put his hand on her shoulders; turned her around and started pushing her towards the door.

"First off I'm a former Marine." Swagger reminded. "And you just used up the last of your five minutes. So take that skinny little ass of yours and whatever you came here to ask me; and get the hell off my property."

Failure had not been an option when she'd been sent here and that was exactly what was about to happen if she allowed him to shove her out on what he had just called her skinny little ass. Grounding in the heels of her hiking boots Eden felt a small bit of satisfaction when his grip on her lessened after stumbling at her abrupt stop.

"Well I hate to disappoint you but I'm not going anywhere until I finish what I have to say." She took the envelope from inside her jacket and slapped it against his very solid chest. "And that would be to warn you that Johnson and the people he works for and that work for him are setting you up to take the fall for the attempted assassination of the president and the death of the archbishop. That's why they came here under the pretense of asking for your help in planning said assassination. Not to mention that if you do decided to take their offer after everything I just told you that picture you took of their license plate isn't gonna be worth jackshit. Because according to the government that specific company is like the uncle no one ever talks about. One man can't take them all down."

Again those eyes of his looked right into hers and she forgot how angry she was. Forgot that he had just tried to man handle her not five seconds ago. All that mattered was helping the man standing before her. Who wasn't sure what the hell to do. One group was pretending to offer a way for him to help his country when really they were going to screw him over. Another was offering a chance to do what he'd been so good at; without all the complications of politics getting in the way. Both had pushed the patriotic button in him. As far as he was concerned though they could all be full of shit. It was up to him to make the right decision.

"Why did you come here? Why are you telling me this? You don't know me from Adam." Swagger was curious.

"My family and I know what it's like when your belief system collapses out from under you. When the country you stood in front of a flag and swore to protect lets you down. All were doing is giving you the opportunity to realize that not everything about the U.S. is a lie. That it's only bad people who make it that way. For you to be able to get back to doing what you love. Which is defending our country against people like Johnson."

"How exactly do you plan on doing that?" Swagger still wasn't convinced.

"By letting you make the decision yourself." Eden simply stated. "No strong arming; though I doubt I could. No deceitfulness. Not to mention my five minutes is up as you so dully noted. Which means I'll leave you with some final information. Everything you need to know as far as our organization and what were dealing with to an extent is in that envelope. If or when you decide to take the offer contact me at any of these numbers day or night."

Handing him a business card she gave a small salute and headed towards the door he'd so unceremoniously tried to shove her out of moments ago. Though she knew she shouldn't the young woman breathed a sigh of relief. One part of what she'd come here to do was done. And that had been to get Swaggers attention. The second still had yet to be determined. Keys in hand the door was open and she was about to slid in when that gruff voice called to her.

"Ms. Blackmore."

Turning she realized he was only a few feet away. Much closer then she'd originally thought. Someone being able to get the drop on her didn't bode well with the ex-SEAL. But she pasted a smile on her face and let the unease slide away.

"Yes Mr. Swagger?" She answered.

"First off it's Bob Lee or Swagger. I use to work for a living." He grinned for the first time since they'd met. "And don't forget to use your low gear going down the road or your breaks will go."

Eden could see what he wouldn't say in his eyes. Saw the hope shining there that her offer had brought to the table. In that moment she knew just as she had all along that he was the right addition to their team. He however being the stubborn man she'd expected would never admit that this was exactly what he needed. So she'd do it for him.

"Swagger it is then." She nodded. "Thank you for the advice. And your welcome."

"Welcome for what?" Swagger played dumb.

"For the second chance we've presented." Eden told him. "Everyone deserves one."

With that parting statement and a nod of her head she was in the car and headed down the road. Back to civilization and hopefully not away from a huge disappointment.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Here's another chapter. Thanks to all those who have read this. Hopefully I didn't screw up the movie too bad. Please keep reviews coming and enjoy. Again I own nothing dealing with the movie Shooter. All other characters and situations are mine.**_

_**Chapter Two**_

_Standing on the porch in the setting sun; long after Eden had left; Swagger tried to figure out what the hell had just happened. So far as he could figure a woman who could obviously handle herself had come to talk to him. Had an offer of sorts to give him. She'd known about Johnson and his men. About what they'd asked him to do. Not to mention she gave as good as she got. Which though it gave her major points he was still weary as hell._

_How did a woman who didn't know him from god know so much about his life. About the men who'd come to see him. Unless she was the one full of shit and planned on using him as bait. Heading away from home to a rock ledge that he liked to go and sit on when he had something serious to think about Swagger highly doubted she was the one full of shit. There was just something about her that screamed patriot. Something that told him she couldn't lie to someone even if she wanted to. _

_If he was honest with his self he would admit to the fact that he'd had a bad feeling about Johnson and his men since the moment they'd pulled up to his home. It was like they radiated bad vibes or something. There had been no bad vibes coming from Ms. Blackmore; Eden; however. Just the knowledge that she could and would take care of herself if the occasion called for it. And feelings that he had thought he'd never feel again. _

_Not one to believe in anything at first sight whether it be lust, love, or even friendship Swagger knew he felt something when she'd first looked him in the eye; leveling those ice blue orbs on him. After she'd handed his ass to him. Even after being out of the service for three years he thought his instincts were still pretty sharp. This woman however had been able to get the drop on him, Which meant only one thing; she was at one point or still is special forces. He pitied the libido of any man who'd had to work with her. _

_Despite the fact that he'd called her ass skinny there was nothing remotely small about it. In his opinion it was perfect; nice and firm from hours of working out. Not that he'd admit that to anyone; let alone the woman that seemed to be able to push all the wrong and right buttons at the same time. _

_With an accent that was just noticeable he guessed she was European in descent. Hair as black as coal down to the middle of her back that ruled out Russia, Germany, and other countries know for their fair coloring. If he was remembering some of the places he'd been sent to during his time in the Marines and some of the people he had worked with he would venture to say that she was Romanian. Some very beautiful woman came from that country and she was no exception. Slightly almond shaped eyes, high cheekbones and full lips she looked like she belonged on the cover of a magazine instead of the military. Unlike those models however she wasn't stick thin; starving herself to look like what America thought was normal. Hidden underneath her clothes he could still tell that she had been toned from head to toe; with a flat stomach. _

_His reaction to the young woman had been completely and totally normal. A healthy male reacting to a gorgeous female. Problem with that is that he hadn't been healthy for a long time. At least soul wise. A part of him had been lost on that mountain side and never really returned. The part that made him care about people; that allowed him to get close to a person. Until Eden Blackmore had walked into his life._

_Reaching into his back pocket he pulled out the envelope she'd shoved at him before saying her peace and leaving. Sitting down; careful of the wet moss he ripped it open and pulled out the stack of papers. On the top was a note from Eden; possibly going into more detail about what she'd already told him. Putting that on the bottom of the pile he went on to the next piece of paper. _

_It was a contract for FLJ; presumably the firm she worked for. Outlining what his job would entail if he decided to join them permanently; besides the current assignment she had informed him of. At the end before the line where his John Hancock went if he chose to join them was a figure that he'd never seen in all his years in the service. And that was only on a monthly basis. By passing that for the moment he went on to the next bunch of papers. Information on FLJ; which stood for Freedom, Liberty, and Justice. That it was a family owned and run business; founded by the patriarch of the Blackmore family. There were only three people working for the company that were non family. Stationed in Washington D.C. the complex had several offices, three conference rooms, a couple of bedrooms, and a state of the art gym. _

_Going through the rest of it he learned a little bit about each of the Blackmore children. It seems all of them had been special forces at one point; following in the old mans footsteps. Which meant that on the off chance he decided to become a part of their firm he'd know the people he was working with would have his back. Rustling through the rest he didn't find anything on the initial reason she'd come here to see him. Thinking the note would explain that he went back to it. One page in length the writing on it was neat and bold; looking more like a mans then a woman's._

_**Mr. Swagger;**_

_**If your reading this then you've at least considered the possibility of taking the offer I've laid before you and that's more then I'd been expecting. The reason my family has sought you out now instead of when you first retired from the Marines was due to the fact that we need someone with your specific skills. Though we've all had experience in sharp shooting it's been agreed upon that you are the best there is. I'll let your ego gloat for a moment before I continue……….Okay; times up. Not to mention that when we found out what the agency had planned we wanted to be able to save you from making one of the biggest mistakes of your life. I don't mean to sound dramatic but if you agree to what Johnson has asked of you your life will never be yours again. I wish I could tell you more but in order to do so you need to make a trip to our office with the signed papers in your hand agreeing to permanently be a part of our firm. And to also tell you that if your decision is to come to D.C. it would be wise to bring all of the fire arms you own with you. Understanding that would be a problem all you have to do is dial my number and someone will meet you with a small Cessna at your home and transport you from there. All in all the decision it up to you Mr. Swagger. Remember that even if the country you swore to defend let you down all those years ago doesn't mean the people who abide by it need to suffer. You may think I'm blowing smoke up your ass when I say this but our firm needs people like you. Plus as I've probably already said before everyone deserves a second chance. Don't let the one we've offered you slip away. Don't allow the bad guys to win again.**_

_**E. Blackmore**_

Grinning despite his self at the comment about his ego he folded up the papers and placed them back in the envelope. Everything she said hit home like nobodies business. Since that fateful day the company he'd been given to on a loan out had left him and his partner Donnie to die on a mountain in Ethiopia he'd been lost. Wandering around with no where to go. Cutting his self off from civilization because he was so mad at the United States as a whole. Growing and shooting his own food in order to survive. His only companion a trusty dog by the name of Sam. A big lug of an animal he'd raised from a pup.

At first that'd been okay with him; trying to get over losing his spotter and best friend. Not to mention his own life. To get over the fact that he'd been lied to by people and a system that he'd thought would never let him down; would never disappoint. After a while of reading the newspaper and surfing the internet he'd realized that he missed being with people. Missed being a part of the outside world. And as Eden had stated when she'd been here earlier both of their cases had hit his patriotic button like there was no tomorrow. However he was more inclined to believe the young woman who somehow managed to occupy his thoughts long after she'd left and take the offer her family and their firm had graciously extended.

Whistling to Sam he headed back towards the house; still not sure what he was going to do. Being a sharp shooter he was use to working alone save for his spotter. Which inclined him to want to go after these guys all on his own. To burn their playhouse down around them now that Eden had given him all that information. There was however that little detail about the statement she'd made about one man not being able to stop them. Nowadays it was probably true. With all the advancements there were in technological warfare it wouldn't be a jump to believe that these men had some serious weapons at their disposal.

_**Why does it seem like evil gets worse and worse everyday? **_Swagger wondered.

One month someone was killed in a drive by shooting. The next a bomb kills a bunch of soldiers in Iraq. Then a couple weeks later a man holds a bunch of school age children hostage. Sometimes it made him really wonder about what happens to someone during their childhood to make them want to become such vicious people.

Sitting down in his office chair Bob Lee notice the papers Johnson had left for him. Curiosity had him wanting to open them and take a peek at what he was now convinced was utter bullshit. It was also almost guaranteed that there would be nothing more in there then what Johnson and his people wanted him to know. Which would be absolutely nothing. After being left to die by a group of people that didn't exist a week later he'd come to realize that when someone thought you were expendable they told you nothing more then they needed to in order to get you to cooperate.

The ex-SEAL who'd come to see him with a job offer from her families firm had done the same thing. But in that particular case he was surprised to find he was willing to go on a little faith. Something he'd thought lost a long time ago.

Getting back into the swing of things was just what he needed. During the years since the incident he'd kept in touch with Donnie's widow through email and phone calls; never visiting because the guilt was still all too real. However he did remember what she'd said to him when he'd told her that he never should've allowed Donnie to become a Marine scout sniper. That the young man had known exactly what he'd been doing when he enrolled in the program. That it wasn't his burden to carry. And most importantly that he needed to get back to the human race instead of hiding away on his mountain top. The good in the world out weighs the bad every time she'd said. People bounced back from worst things then what he'd been through with a positive out look on life. There was no reason why he couldn't get his back.

"What'd you think Sam? Should I take their offer and try to get my life back?" Swagger looked down at the dog.

A huge bark was his response; and that was all he needed. Some may believe that going on the reaction of an animal wasn't the smartest thing to do. He however was of the school that animals; dogs especially; were way more perceptive then humans. With that he headed out to his shed; keys to his gun case in hand. She'd said to bring all his guns. Why he wasn't sure but he had a feeling that once he was squared away at their headquarters all his questions would be answered.

Little did he know that those answers would be a matter of life and death.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hey guys; here's another chapter. Thanks to all those who've read it. Again reviews of any kind are welcome. Enjoy!**_

_**I own nothing dealing with the movie Shooter.**_

_**Chapter Three**_

_Why was it that some people liked to torture a person by making them wait for days before they make a decision about something? Men in particular it seemed; putting things off till the last minute because they felt it was easier that way. Thinking that Bob Lee Swagger and the current situation were any different had been stupid on her part. Sitting on pins and needles the past three days while the gunnery sergeant made up his mind had not been fun for Eden or anyone at the firm. As much as she was not one for dramatics this was literally a matter of life and death for not only the arch bishop but his people as well. _

_Meeting him at his home aboard the Cessna with her father would've been her choice but unfortunately she'd had a meeting with a client the same time as the pickup. Trying to go about their normal everyday lives while working to take down Johnson and his organization was proving more difficult then any of them had imagined. But after four months they finally had most of the kinks worked out. The fact that those they came in contact with could face danger as well never sat too well with the young woman but it was just a fact about the situation. One that she'd come to terms with somewhat if not all together_

"_Morning mom." Eden stopped at the receptionist desk._

"_Hi honey. How'd your meeting go?" She wondered._

"_Good." Eden told her. "I'm not looking forward to having to provide protection for some spoiled little rich girl who pissed someone off by getting a naked picture of herself in the tabloids." _

"_I know. But that's our motto. 'Freedom, Liberty, and Justice for all'." She reminded. "Besides the clients paying good money"_

"_I really wish dad would've been a little bit more original and made up his own slogan instead of taking it from the pledge of allegiance." Eden confessed. "And the only reason their paying good money is because they know who's daughter I' am. Dad's reputation has a tendency to do that to people." _

_Coming around the front of her desk her mother put an arm around her shoulders; giving her a quick squeeze. "They come here because they know were the best there is. All of you have your own stellar reputations. You especially. You'd be surprised to know the number of people; woman in particular; who ask for you once they read your file. You're an inspiration to a lot of people. Don't ever forget that."_

"_Thanks." Eden smiled. "Are dad and Todd back yet?"_

"_Nope. But he just called and said they were only about ten minutes from the airstrip so with the drive time they should be here in about half an hour. Why?" She questioned._

"_No reason really." Eden shrugged. "I just wanna make sure Swagger isn't going to go back on his word."_

"_From what I've read about him and what you told us when you came back I highly doubt that. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy that's willing to alter his whole life just to turn around and change his mind." She pointed out._

"_I hope so." Eden answered absedmindely. _

_Raising an eye brow at her daughter she could tell that something else was bothering her. At sixty five she had seen a lot in her lifetime. Had learned to read people from her time with the Romanian military before she'd come to the states to pursue her medical degree. To gage their reactions to the world around them. At the moment she'd have to say that this Swagger character had her daughter tied up in some serious knots. Which meant that he must be extremely good looking or as intriguing and mysterious as James Bond because Eden was not the kind of woman to get distracted by something as trivial as a man. _

_Honestly Katarina and her husband were worried that she would be the only one out of the Blackmore children to not marry. To never be able to find the happiness that her three brothers had with their wives. The enjoyment of a very full life with someone that you loved more then life itself. Like she had with Charles. Maybe this Swagger character would make her change her mind. Only time would tell. There was no harm however in trying to push things along a little bit._

"_I heard he's quite a handsome man." Katarina spoke through the silence._

_Leveling her gaze on the woman she'd been told she was the spitting image of Eden should've known that was coming. The only one of her mothers children to not be married she'd become an anomaly in her own family in that aspect. It wasn't that she wasn't ready to settle down and start a family. At thirty-two her biological clock was ticking and she defiantly wasn't getting any younger. But being a woman in the military; especially the special forces; it was hard to balance a home life with a career. A lot of woman were successful at it everyday. Most of those woman hadn't had to battle with the men they worked with to prove that they had their backs if the shit hit the fan. Weren't waist deep in some muck in some hell hole of a country that no one was suppose to know existed. She was only following what her mother had taught her from a young age. And that was to do for herself first before she did for someone else. _

_Now that she was out of the service and working as part of her families firm she had the chance at a life she'd thought would never happen. Because at one point she'd thought about making the military a long term thing like her father had. But too much heartache and loss later she'd said to hell with that. However she needed a man to have that fairy tale life. The one that included a white picket fence, two point five kids, and a dog. _

_The statement her loving yet meddling mother had just made in her heavily accented voice was meant to remind her that time to find a husband and settle down was becoming shorter and shorter. In turn the pool of good men was becoming smaller and smaller. Just as she meets one of them he has to be brought in as part of their security team; not to mention royally annoy the shit out of her at their first meeting. _

"_Whoever told you that would be correct in their assessment." Eden agreed. " But that doesn't mean you can start picking out wedding invitations."_

"_I never said anything of the sort." Katarina pretended to be offended._

_Glancing up from the paper she'd been reading Eden gave her mom a frown. "That may be so but you were implying it."_

_Perching on the edge of the desk she gave her only daughter a wan smile. "Only because I care about you and I want to see you happy."_

"_I' am happy mom." Eden told her. _

"_It's just that your going to be thirty three this year and haven't had a serious relationship in at least five." Katarina explained._

"_Thank you for reminding me of my pathetic love life." Eden grimaced. "And for your information Derek broke up with me when he found out I was a SEAL. It's not my fault he couldn't handle what I did for a living. Wasn't it you that always taught me to stand up for myself? To never change into someone I'm not for anyone?"_

"_Yes but….." Katarina began._

_Exasperated Eden came around the desk and put an arm around the woman she looked up to most in this world. "But nothing. Look mom I love you; really I do. And I understand you don't want me to be alone the rest of my life. Hell I don't want that either. But I'm not about to give up who I' am for some guy. I have faith that one will come along and take me for me; no questions asked."_

_Fate had a strange sense of humor and liked to show it at the oddest times. Like punctuating her last statement by having her father and brother walk in the door with the man who'd been the topic of discussion moments ago. The smile on her moms face didn't help either. Coming from a country high with religion and believing in things that can't always be explained the older woman no doubt took it as a sign from above. _

_**This is so not funny **__Eden rolled her eyes skyward._

_Standing up she grabbed the file she'd been in the process of studying; plastering a smile on her face before she turned back to the group by the door. That was when her demeanor faltered and she knew she was in some serious shit. Hair cropped short and spiky; beard neatly trimmed and a form hugging sweater he was pure sex through and through and he didn't even know it. Or he did and decided to let it play out. At the moment it was working pretty good in his favor. Katarina was fawning over him ; the two male members of the family almost child like at meeting a person who was considered a legend in the world of special forces. _

_Getting caught staring; or in her case possibly drooling was not an option so as she noticed them turn to her she quickly open the folder she was holding. Acting as if the words in front of her were increasingly interesting Eden didn't look up until she heard footsteps coming towards her and the sound of her fathers voice calling._

"_Hey! I see you made it back in one piece" She answered; finally inclining her head towards the group._

"_Yeah but I'm beginning to think dad needs to take some more flying lessons." Todd gave her a hug._

"_Bite your tongue young man." Charles scowled at him. "My flying was perfectly fine. It's not my fault you don't like planes."_

"_I like them just fine when it doesn't feel like my stomach is in my throat the whole time." Todd argued._

"_You're just use to the big C-130's." Katarina defended her husband._

_Chuckling at them she turned to the one man who could get her blood pumping faster then you could say uncle and tried not to react to the smirk she saw forming on his face or the gleam in his eye. He'd seen her try to act like she hadn't reacted to him walking into the room; try to act like she hadn't been staring. _

"_Nice to see you again Mr. Swagger." Eden extended her hand. Two could play his game. If he wanted to feel smug at catching her then she could annoy the hell out of him._

"_Likewise." He took her hand; giving it a firm shake. A jolt the likes of which he'd never felt before radiated up his arm and through the rest of his body; catching him completely off guard. If it had affected her she didn't show it. "And I told you before that it's just Swagger….."_

"_You work for a living." Eden cut him off; smirk on her perfectly glossed lips. " I know; I just wanted to see you riled up now that you don't have a gun to point at my head." _

_Cringing as he waited for the wraith of the young girls parents and her oldest brother to come down on him he was surprised when nothing happened. Then he looked over and realized that they were all engrossed in a conversation over a file that was placed on the receptionist desk. The last thing he needed was for them to end up on the wrong foot after starting off so well. Causing bodily harm to their only daughter would defiantly not be a good idea. _

"_Yeah; I should ..um probably apologize for that." Swagger dipped his head in embracement. _

"_No harm no foul." Eden waved him off. "I've had more then my fair share of guns pointed at me. Plus it seems you've gotten your head out of your ass so it's all kosher."_

_Again there was that smile that lit up her face; chased away the sadness he could see lingering in her eyes and stirred something deep in his gut that he'd thought was long dead. Swagger told his self that physical attraction to her was the only reason he felt that tug; that it was nothing more. That it was the only reason the next question left his mouth._

"_Well now that I've got my head out of my ass would it be okay for me to take you out to dinner or a cup of coffee to make up for it." _

_Caught off guard by his suddenly friendly and somewhat open demeanor Eden wasn't sure what to say. Gone was the man who'd been gruff to her after she dared to step foot on his mountain. In it's place was a man; though he still hadn't lost some of his edge; that was a little less rough. A warm feeling spread through her at his invitation and she hoped and prayed that this was all just an act for the sake of her parents. That the minute they were behind closed doors together he'd revert back to being an asshole. Because if he didn't she was in some seriously deep shit. _

"_Of course she would." Katarina answered for the surprisingly silent Eden._

_Never had she seen her daughter speechless. Hell as much as she loved the girl there were times when it was hard to get her to be quiet. Known for having one of the best poker faces in the business the young woman was now looking at Swagger as if she'd never seen him before. There was defiantly something more to this relationship then Eden was letting on. Or maybe it was the fact that she wasn't willing to admit to herself that there was anything between her and the gunnery sergeant. Though they may have been engrossed in a conversation at the current time the matriarch had seen the way the ex-marine had scanned the room; his eyes lighting with something she'd seen in her sons when they looked at their wives as his gaze landed on her only daughter. It may still be new; in the process of growing but there was no doubt in the Romanian woman's mind that soon she would be attending another wedding._

_Shaking her head the younger woman couldn't believe she'd been so taken aback by his offer that her __mother _of all people had had to answer for her. Catching the gunny's eye she realized that he was waiting for her to answer; obviously not happy with Katarina's answer.

"Um…yeah; of course." Eden finally managed to choke out. "But it'll have to be a late dinner. We have a lot to do to get you squared away. And a lot of information for you to go over."

"I'm ready when you are." Swagger agreed.

He'd baffled her and he had to say he was a little proud of his self. When he decided to take the job offer; to help them and become a part of their team he'd come to the conclusion that he would also turn over a new leaf as far as his personality and people skills went. Before he'd lost one of his best friends and faith in his country he'd had what most considered a pretty good sense of humor; decent people skills for someone who'd been taught be a killing machine. Then that had all changed and he decided that it was better to be rude and crass; to get people to stay away from you then to let yourself get close to them. That way if something happened to them it wouldn't be so hard on his heart. After a while he'd started to realize that life couldn't be lived that way. Even for someone like him who'd been labeled as a peckerwood who lived in the hills with too many guns.

"First things first then." Eden walked over and grabbed a stack of paper an inch thick and handed it to him. " We have more paper work for you to fill out and we're going to need the signed contract I brought to you."

"Why do I have the feeling that I'm not going to like this very much?" Swagger grimaced.

Heading towards the back of the office; feeling the rest of the group hot on her heels she grinned as she heard her father chuckle.

"Because you probably won't." Charles agreed.

"We still have to have you sign the tree we had to kill; then after that get you up to speed on everything we have so far about Johnson and his group plus the plot they have to get rid of the archbishop. Once that's done we'll get your guns put into the vault and you squared away in your new apartment." Eden explained.

Hearing the mahogany door close behind him with an ominous click he tried not to hyperventilate as he took in the room around him. About as big as his entire cabin back in Wyoming it was decorated in navy and dark brown. Unlike most conference rooms it was warm and inviting; the chairs placed around the square stained oak table were more like over stuffed armchairs upholstered in navy fabric then the normal rolling ones a person would see. Hanging on the wall at the end of the room was a flat screen television; a projector hanging on the wall over head. In the one corner was a small table with an industrial size coffee pot; Styrofoam cups next to it along with holders for cream and sugar. Hanging on all the walls; broken up with paintings here and there; were pictures of the Blackmoore family both past and present.

And seated around the table were the members he had yet to meet. He remembered reading in the papers that Eden had left him that there were four children total; three boys and one girl. All of them married except for the woman in question who was grabbing a cup of coffee. Sitting on the right side of the patriarch of the family was Todd; the one brother he'd already met and the oldest of the kids. Tall like his father he was broad shouldered and lean; with eyes as green as moss. On the left was who he concluded was the second oldest; Chris was the name given on the report. A little shorter then the other two men; with a leaner runners build he had brown hair and blue eyes. Finally was the youngest boy Micheal; who had just as recently as two weeks tied the knot. Though Eden displayed it more then the rest all of the children had their mothers strong jaw line and defined cheekbones; the youngest two having her blue eyes. That however balanced out with the fact that in some small way each one was built like their father. Dressed in business suits; jackets hung over the backs of their chairs he felt a little under dressed in his grey sweater and jeans.

Taking the seat Katarina had gestured to at her left at the other end of the table he took a minute to pulls his self together. It'd been a while since he'd been in this particular kind of setting and he had a feeling he was a little rusty. Setting his bag down on the floor he straightened and almost bumped his head right into Eden's stomach. Cursing under his breath he felt his cheeks heat as he looked up at the woman who had him in complete knots.

"Sorry; I'm usually not this clumsy." He apologized.

Placing a cup of coffee and black leather bound folder in front of him she gave a reassuring smile. "It's okay to be nervous. Hell this is my own family and I was scared as all hell the first time I came in here."

"Yeah but did you feel like you were about to throw up and your palms were too sweaty to hold a pen?" Swagger wondered; surprised at his own admission.

Walking around to the other side of the table she suppressed a chuckle at his deer in the headlights look and tried not to think of how close she'd come to touching him. "In a nutshell. But the key is to just relax and be yourself. We asked you to become a part of this team because we believe in you and your abilities. So just sit back and take it all in a little at a time; you'll be just fine."

Pride swelled in his chest at her compliment and he tried to quench it as her father began the introductions. Despite all that though he was finding that it was harder to head her advice then anticipated. As much as she may have faith in them; as they all may have faith in him he was still the outsider. Still had to prove that he was worthy of the praise she'd given him.

"I do apologize Swagger but we have some other cases that need to be squared away before we're able to get to the reason why you're here." Charlie confessed.

"No problem." He waved it off. "I'll just look over some of these papers. Take all the time you need."

Thanking him the older man turned back to the file in front of him before clicking a button on the remote he now held in his hand. Information and a picture of a man they had either had to find or provide security for flashed on the screen. Knowing that it was none of his business and that he would be of no use in this particular conversation the gunnery sergeant stretched his legs out underneath the large table and focused his attention on the stack of information in front of him that must've killed an entire tree to print.

Having to type up all the reports for the clients her father was referring to Eden knew all the information by heart. So it didn't hurt for her to tune it out for a couple of minutes as she gave her brain a chance to take a break. A lot had been thrown at her in the past couple of weeks with the plot Johnson and his people were planning to set in motion and trying to convince Swagger to make what she was sure he still didn't a hundred percent believe was the right decision by coming to join them. Tonight had been her chance to recoup; to get a well deserved rest before things really started rolling. Now that they had the one person they'd been lacking jumping right into the thick of it was the only thing left to do. Instead of taking a nice warm bath and vegging out in front of the t.v. before she called it a night she had to sit through a dinner that her mother had in a sense made her agree to.

Jotting down some notes on the legal pad in front of her the young woman took a chance to cast a sideways glance at her quote un quote dinner date for the evening. Paper in hand he had his long body stretched out to get as comfortable as possible while he read. And against her better judgment she felt herself watching in fascination as his muscles shifted against the fabric of his jeans as he made suttle movements to keep his legs from falling asleep. Sometime during her fathers talk he'd taken his sweater off; having draped it over the back of his chair. Feeling like someone had turned the heater up past the seventy degrees it was currently set at she unconsciously put her hand up to her mouth; making sure there wasn't any drool coming from it. Her pervious assumption that he was muscled underneath those layers of clothing she'd first seen him in had been so off. Not only was he past muscled and well muscled but he'd made it all the way to body of a greek god. Even through the fabric of his white t-shirt she could see his well defined pecs and six pack abs straining to be free; for her to run her hands over them. Arms three times the size of hers he'd be able to pick her up and throw her like a rag doll with no problems. So it was easy to imagine him picking up a fifty caliber belt fed weapon that was normally mounted on a jeep or humvee and shooting the shit out of a helicopter to make sure he and his buddy made it out alive.

Sadly his spotter hadn't and it had torn the young man apart; making him give up on the country and people he'd sworn to protect. Every single person sitting in the room right now knew what it was like to be in his shoes. To feel like everything they'd believed in was a lie; that it felt like your world was crashing down on you. FLJ Security Firm had given them all a chance to pick up the pieces; to put their lives back together and believe that the place they'd taken an oath to protect wasn't all bad. For his sake she hoped the job they'd offered would do the same thing for him that it had for her and her brothers. Because she had the strange feeling that if he was to allow his self to truly live again; to go back to the man he'd once been that the glimpse of character she'd seen when he'd asked her to dinner would become the norm. Then again that could be a bad thing for her; because it was easier to hate him when he was being an ass. The minute he started acting nice she was at a loss for words and the heart she'd tried to harden towards him slowly started to melt.

Rubbing his eyes to try to stop the headache he could feel forming from lack of sleep Swagger looked away from the file; giving his self a chance to study the woman who had been instrumental in getting him to come here. Shoes kicked off; long, tan legs curled up underneath her; skirt arranged so that she wouldn't give anyone the wrong idea Eden looked relaxed as she listened to her dad outline the next case. Like this was where she belonged; what she'd been meant to do. Her actions when he'd first met her shouted at special forces training of some nature. If he could remember correctly she had followed in her fathers footsteps and become a SEAL. Most people had the notion that all special forces groups hated one another; that they all trash talked behind each others backs. For some he'd known that was true; but not him. He believed that all of their jobs were equally as dangerous. That anyone who was willing to risk their lives to go to third world countries and rescue people or protect their country from terrorist deserved respect. Her maybe more so then others. And as bad as it sounded all of it was due to the fact that she was a woman. Even in their day in age it was still thought crass and not all together acceptable for a female to be in the armed forces; let alone elite fighting forces like the SEAL's.

It was more then that though; more then her time in the military that made her walk tall. Made her carry herself like she knew who she was and exactly what she was capable of. Knew what she wanted out of life and were she was headed. Maybe it was the way she'd been brought up; her family history and background. It was obvious from the way he'd seen her interact with her family that she'd never lacked for love; for acceptance from those around her. Then again he'd seen pain hidden in those ice blues eyes as she turned to him back at his home; telling him that she knew what it was like when the country you'd sworn to protect let you down. In a sense he had a strange feeling that's what had attracted him to her. Her sense of self; willingness to move on despite the tragedy she may have witnessed in her life. Granted when he'd first met her he hadn't been the most polite person in the world. Then again he was still bitter about what had happened to him; about what the country that he'd given his life to had done. It was amazing how quick a persons thinking could change.

_**Especially when the right form of healing comes into play; **_Swagger thought.

Just as he was about to look away to avoid getting caught Eden turned to him. Giving him a smile that made his toes curl and heart skip a beat or two she rolled her eyes as her father droned on. Stifling the laugh he could feel bubbling up he returned her smile; feeling like it was the first genuine one he'd let loose in a long time.

Maybe coming to work for FLJ would be a turning point for him in more ways then one.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Sorry it took me so long to update. I've been crazy busy but here it is; another chapter. Thanks to all those who've read and reviewed. **_

_**Again I own nothing dealing with the movie Shooter or any others I might mention along the way.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Chapter Four**_

"_I hope we didn't bore you too much." Charlie addressed Swagger._

_Glad he was back to reading the papers he'd been given and not caught staring at his bosses daughter the marine looked up; trying to hide the fact that he'd possibly lost quite a few brain cells while absorbing the information given to him about Johnson and his group._

"_No sir; just getting up to speed." He assured._

"_Well I hate to pile it on but there's some information still left to give." Charlie apologized._

"_Give away." Swagger grinned._

_Nodding he pointed the remote at the screen once again and three pictures appeared. One was of Johnson himself; the others were the two men he'd brought with him upon coming to his house to try to and lie his way to the marines patriotic buttons. _

"_Obviously you've already met and spoken to Colonel Issac Johnson." Katarina started. " The other two men that were more then likely with him are Frank Thomas and Gideon Strickland. Thomas is his information man; the one who does all the leg work as far as getting background checks on everyone and anyone the agency plans to employee…"_

"_Or use." Todd cut in._

"_That too." Katarina agreed. " Graduate of Harvard law at the top of his class in nineteen ninety he was brought in as a lawyer for all political types right out of college. He also happens to be some sort of computer whiz. At the time his father was the sitting U.S. senator for Connecticut. More then likely one of the reasons why he got the job he did so quickly."_

"_Has anybody spoken to the father?" Swagger wondered._

_Passing him a folder Micheal gave a grim smile. "Seems how a séance would be needed to do so the answer would be no."_

"_Now isn't that convenient." Swagger skimmed the autopsy report on the top of the pile._

"_When he happened to die the day before we were scheduled to meet him I'd say so." Chris agreed._

"_It's says here he died from a heart attack." Swagger read out loud._

"_There's about five different drugs I can think of off the top of my head that can make it look like a person died of natural causes and be out of their blood stream before their bodies are even cold." Eden pointed out._

_Conceding with a nod of his head Swagger had to remind his self that the person sitting next to him was no ordinary woman. "What about other family members; friends?"_

"_He was an only child and the mother died of cancer when he was still in high school." Micheal answered. "As for friends he was too busy working his way up in the ranks and being part of the agency to have anyone that would be of interest."_

"_So as far as knowing everything and anything there is about your life and those in it he really isn't a threat." Swagger concluded._

"_Not an immediate one; but one none the less." Charlie reminded. _

"_What about Strickland?" Swagger questioned._

"_He's the one that makes you want to cringe…or put your fist through his face." Eden added. _

"_That nice of a guy." Swagger couldn't help but chuckle at how nonchalantly she'd spoken those last words._

"_Oh he's a certifiable saint all right." Chris rolled his eyes._

"_His wrap sheet it as long as you are tall." Todd confessed. "Everything from carjacking to possession of stolen weapons and assault with a deadly weapon. Started back when he was about thirteen and got worse as the years went on. Finally the judge ordered he join the military at the age of seventeen; thought the discipline would so him some good."_

"_How long was he in?" Swagger questioned._

"_Six years before he was dishonorably discharged for disobeying a direct order. Got at least five people killed." Katarina explained. "He wondered around for a year doing odd jobs here and there. Managed to stay out of trouble and keep a somewhat low profile. But not low enough for Johnson to not find him. No family left; his parents are both dead and his only brother died of an overdose about three years ago."_

"_And because of his record he was the perfect addition to the Colonel's team." Swagger put it all together._

"_Exactly." Eden stated. "He's been with Johnson from the beginning; helped him get the rest of the men who make up his team of contract killers. Mostly ex-military types who've had disciplinary problems in the past. Were not concerned about them though. There's only a handful of people that know about the so called presidential assai nation."_

"_Who?" Swagger wanted the low down. _

"_Michkala Cerviack; the man who's going to be doing the shooting." Chris offered. "Ukrainian by birth he was trained to he a sharp shooter since the age of ten; grew up to be a brutal son of a bitch that would shoot someone then wait for their friends to come along and shoot them too. The American government actually wanted him pretty bad there for a while. They finally narrowed him down to a six story building and brought it down on his ass. Those who were on the side of good thought he was dead; never bothered to check for the body. Johnson and his team swooped in; rescued the man and brought him into the fold. He's been doing their dirty work ever since."_

"_What's Johnson's story?" Swagger had to know; it'd been bothering him ever since the man had stepped foot on his land._

"_Well to begin with were not even sure if Johnson is his real name. Over the years he's had quite a few; none any more real then the other." Chris answered. "Unlike everyone else finding information on him was a little bit harder. We have a feeling that his life is buried so deep that no one will find it in this lifetime or the next."_

"_What we were able to find is that he was a full blood Colonel in the Army; special forces. Known for being ruthless and unyielding he grabbed the agencies attention when he kept getting bailed out of court martial's for war crimes. After about the tenth time they decided he would be better suited for the agencies needs then regular military work." Katarina continued. _

"_And that about sums up what he have on the good Colonel. We have someone on the inside working to get us more but it's slow going so as to not attract attention or put up red flags." Micheal informed._

"_Who was his saving grace so to speak?" Swagger couldn't believe what he was hearing._

_Pushing another button on the remote Charles pulled up a picture of a man in his late fifties; early sixties; replacing the ones that had been there moments before. Blue page boy cap on his head he could see white hair sticking out the back and sides. Face weathered from time out in the sun it was wrinkled with age around the eyes and mouth; brown eyes still sharp and intelligent beneath white bushy eyebrows. Cheeks chubby; and not in a cute cherub way it was definitely fair to say that when it came to leg work he had someone else running laps. _

"_Six term senator from Montana by the name of Charles Beechum." The patriarch informed. "Digging into his past would be a little complicated seems how he's planning on running for president in the next election. Not to mention that we're not sure exactly how far up this corruption goes."_

"_The others were easy because their just peons compared to Beechum." Eden got up to get a bottle of water from the fridge. "So far as we can figure the senator is the brains behind the whole operation. The one that make sure all the correct documents are; or in some cases aren't; in place. Recruits all the men that Johnson uses. Unfortunately that's all we've been able to find. We have someone working on getting more but it's going to take some time." _

_Swagger knew all too well that anything worth risking your life for or using some one else's would be hard to get. The fact that they had all the information they did surprised the hell out of him. Then again they were ranked as the top private and governmental security firm in the country. Which meant they had contacts where it counted the most. Probably the same contacts that had gotten them the information about Johnsons plans had told them were he'd been hiding all these years. As he locked eyes with Eden yet again as she gestured to her water; asking without words if he wanted some; he had to send a silent thanks to all those involved. Despite his better judgment. Despite the war that his head and his heart were waging with each other he was starting to fall for this dark haired beauty. With no plans to stop his immediate track to game over. _

"_So what exactly do they have in store for the unsuspecting archbishop?" He nodded his thanks as the woman in question placed a cool bottle of spring water in front of him before taking her seat once again._

"_Simply put; a bullet to the head." Todd answered. "With him out of the way the people of Ethiopia will look to Beechum and his plans as a savior of sorts. Not knowing that he's planning on killing them all."_

"_Which is why his appearance with the president is the perfect place to pull it off." Katarina reminded. "When all hell breaks loose after the bullet flies it'll look like it was an assai nation attempt on the leader of our free world and no one will give two shits about a dead archbishop of a third world country."_

"_Where do I fit into all of this?" Swagger was still slightly confused._

"_You're the scapegoat. The one to get blamed for the whole clusterfuck once the fingers start pointing." Eden explained._

"_Eden Ivanka Yamorich Blackmoore!" Katarina reprimanded._

"_What?" Eden shrugged her shoulders. "I'm still stuck on SEAL vocabulary."_

"_Anyway." Micheal tried to hide his grin as her mother shook her head; speaking under her breath in Romanian. " They were planning on coming to you with the proposition of helping to stop a presidential assignation as you very well know. While you were gone scouting it was more then likely that they'd find your sniping rifle that you no doubt decided to fire in an attempt to figure out if the president was seriously in danger. From there they'd bring it back with them to Philadelphia; knowing that you'd figured out that was the only place the shot could be taken from. Johnson would ask for your help on the day the event was suppose to take place; telling you that he needed a spotter. Being the patriot that you are you'd agree. Once that was all set into motion the only thing left to do was dispose of you after the archbishop was dead."_

"_When it all boils down the report would read that you were so pissed of at the United States for leaving you all those years ago to die that you decided to take it out on the president. Then you committed suicide after realizing what you'd done." Charles finished._

"_And Johnson and his men would clean everything up and take over the investigation from the FBI and local police. That way there's no questions or doubts about the fact that the wound that caused your death could in no way be self inflicted." Chris added._

_Sitting back in his chair Swagger had to take a moment to let it all sink in. Everything sounded reasonable and completely plausible to him. What he couldn't wrap his head around was the fact that they'd chosen him. By no means was he the only sniper in the Marines. Or the military for that matter. He was just the unlucky bastard they'd set their sights on._

"_What are they going to do if I don't contact them with an answer?" He finally spoke._

_Reaching into a cabinet behind him Micheal grabbed a cell phone and powered it up before handing it to the marine. "Nothing. Because your going to call them and tell them that you've decline the offer. That you've decided to take a private security firm up on their job opportunity."_

_A look of utter horror and disbelief must've crossed his face because Katarina reached over and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry. You're safe with us; we won't let anything happen to you."_

"_I'm more worried about you guys then I' am myself." Swagger found his voice. "Won't giving them all that information lead them right to you? Put your lives and everything you've worked for in danger?"_

"_It's not anything we haven't faced before." Eden reminded. "Plus we're not trying to hide from these guys. As far as they know we have nothing to do with it. We have no idea of their plans nor do we have our own set in motion to stop them."_

_Glancing from face to face he saw the same steely determination and rock hard resilience he'd seen in the youngest Blackmoores gaze when she'd been trying to convince him to come and work for them. This was not a family to be messed with. They'd stick by each other till the bitter end. Lay down their life for one another if it came to it. And in a sudden clarity he realized they'd do the same for him. That from the moment Charles and Todd had picked him up at his home he'd become a part of that family. Though it all seemed to happen so fast and so soon he had no qualms about it; no uneasy feelings. For the first time in a long time a peace came over him that he'd never felt before. _

_Taking a deep breath he pulled the piece of paper from his pocket that held the number Johnson wanted him to call; having grabbed it right before he left the house. Waiting for Chris to hook the phone up to the one in the center of the table so they could all hear it Swagger took a deep breath before dialing. A pin could've dropped in the room and whoever was on the other end would've heard it the minute they picked up._

"_We've been waiting to hear from you Mr. Swagger." A deep voice spoke._

"_In that case I hate to disappoint you." He answered. "But I've decided to decline the offer."_

"_That's a shame." The voice sighed; definitely sounding female. "We would've thought you'd want to serve your country one last time."_

"_Like I told Johnson; I'm not too fond of the current president nor was I of the one before that." Swagger tried to make his voice sound angry. "But I do care about the people of our country. That's why I've decided to take a job at a private security firm."_

" _Are you sure there isn't anything we can do to persuade you?" Obviously the woman on the other end was use to getting men to do what she wanted with just the sound of her voice. In his case not so much. There was only one woman's voice who could make him to do anything at all and she was currently sitting next to him; no expression on her face._

"_Afraid not." Swagger shook his head. "I believe that my skills will be better put to use in a place where I can be my own boss." _

_Silence followed on the other end and for a minute he'd thought they'd hung up._

"_I'm sorry to hear that Mr. Swagger. I'm sure Mr. Johnson will be to." And with that there was a click and the line went dead._

"_That was a lot easier then I thought it'd be." He breathed a sigh as he sat back._

_Disconnecting the phone Charles turned to him with a grave face; all niceties and playfulness of earlier gone._

"_That's the easiest it's ever going to be. In order to beat Johnson as his own game we have to act like nothing is wrong. Like we're going on with our normal, everyday lives. Trying to separate that and the current grave task at hand is going to be difficult and stressful. It is literally a matter of life and death. If one thing goes wrong we're all put in danger. And everything we've done; everything we've worked for will have been for nothing. This country and it's leader are counting on us to put an end to this fiasco once and for all. Failing is not an option."_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Here's another chapter. I know there hasn't been much action in this yet but it's because I'm trying to get a sort of back story going so that things aren't confusing later on down the road. **_

_**Thanks again to all those who read and reviewed.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**I own nothing dealing with the movie Shooter and any other tv show and or movie I may mention. **_

_**Chapter Five**_

"_Your father is very; um….." Swagger couldn't quite think of a word that fit._

"_Passionate?" Eden supplied; dropping his suitcase on the floor._

_It was now two hours after their meeting had ended and she was finally getting the chance to show him the apartment he'd be staying in. When they'd bought the complex to house their security business it had been thought a good idea to buy the building next to them and convert it to apartments; complete with an actual kitchen and living room. She herself along with the three other people the marine had met earlier were the only ones who actually lived here. Her brothers all had houses within a twenty mile radius of each other and only ten minutes from the office. The patriarchs of the Blackmoore family lived further away; in a ranch just outside of the D.C. area._

_Unfortunately for her her mother had had the bright idea to make sure that Swagger got the one right across the hall from hers. Even though there were three other ones besides that that were ready to move in. It was yet again another one of her ways to try to shove them together. As much as she knew her mother meant well it grated royally on her nerves when she tried to play match maker._

"_That works." Swagger agreed._

"_He's always been like that." Eden led the way through the short hallway into where the living room and kitchen were. "Ever since his time in the service. Sometimes it can be a little too much. But I guess that's what makes him so good at his job."_

_Settling his long frame into the overstuffed brown leather couch Swagger took in the place he'd be living in from here on out. The walls were painted in a medium blue; matching perfectly with the creams and browns of the furniture and carpet. There was an oak entertainment center that held a nice forty two inch flat screen TV complete with DVD player and stereo equipment that matched the coffee table he currently had his feet on. Artwork consisting of old west and more modern pieces were placed on the walls in gold frames. For what he guessed was security reasons there were no windows; at least in this room. That was something he was going to have to get use to. _

"_Well then I think you all take after him because from what I can see you're all very good at what you do." He told her._

_All she did was shrug her shoulders in return. Something told him that she didn't take compliments very well. And that even though she'd been extremely successful in her life; paving her own path in the SEALS; that she still lived under her fathers shadow. If only she knew that that was so far from the truth. After he'd read the information given to him on the Blackmoore children he'd made some phone calls to his buddies that were still in the service. Apparently the number of people that respected Eden for what she'd accomplished; for what she'd done; far out weighed those who didn't. Either no one had bothered to tell her that or she just didn't pay close attention._

"_We just did the best we could." Eden waved her hands. _

_Standing up he stopped when he stood in front of her. Reaching out he gently touched her cheek; why he had no clue. But when she didn't flinch away he took it as a good sign. _

"_You did more then the best you could because you had to. To prove that you were able to make it in a mans world. And you more then did. You blew it out of the freaking water. " At her small smile Swagger continued. " Don't let anyone ever tell you different." _

_Having him this close to her; touching her the way he was when days ago he'd been man handling her and telling her to get off his property was seriously affecting her brain. Watching his eyes as he watched her she wondered if anyone had ever told him how beautiful they were. Ever told him that if they really wanted to they could get lost in them. Probably not; but then again there was always a first time for everything and she was usually the one to open her mouth when it was better kept shut._

"_Thank you…..for saying that." Eden whispered. "Has anyone ever told you you have very pretty eyes?"_

_Cocking his head to the side he couldn't help but let a slight smirk slide across his face. This woman he hadn't been able to get out of his head since seeing her on his mountain three days ago was full of surprises. He never knew what she was going to say or do. Honestly he had to admit that he liked it that way. What he did know was that whatever came out of that pretty little mouth of hers would be the truth. _

"_Yeah; but usually their burly looking and ready to kick the shit out of me." Swagger told her._

"_Well I'm not burly looking; at least I don't think I' am." Eden added. "But I just might kick the crap out of you; I make no guarantees."_

_Without even thinking he leaned down and brushed his lips across hers; just a slight contact but it was enough to get his juices flowing. Pulling back he saw the surprise etched on her face and wasn't sure how to respond. Because along with that he saw the desire she was trying to hide in her eyes and knew that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Normally that would be a good thing. A reason for him to kiss her again. To pick her up and drag her back to bed with him. But the situation he was currently in and the woman who had suddenly grown stiff next to him were so far beyond the realm of different he couldn't even begin to explain. Not to mention the fact that he needed to get use to a life back in the real world before he thought about any kind of a relationship with anyone. Whether it be just sex or something else. And he had a strange feeling that with Eden it wouldn't be just sex. _

"_Trust me darlin; your no where near burly lookin'." Swagger finally spoke. "As far as you kicking my ass I look forward to it."_

"_Do you honestly think I would knowing you'd like it?" Eden raised an eyebrow._

"_No but a man can hope." Swagger gave her a megawatt smile._

_All to aware of how close their bodies were; of the reaction she was having to him Eden stepped back enough to put a couple of feet between them. Heading over to a door on the right; twisting the knob she swung it wide; leaning against the wall as she finally let her gaze meet his. The way he was turning her inside out didn't bode well at all for the ex SEAL. After her last relationship had gone completely south she'd sworn off dating. Sworn off men in general actually. There were just too many out there that were intimidated by a woman who sometimes had bigger balls then they did. _

"_And that's all your going have as far as I'm concerned so it better be some pretty damn strong hope." Eden reminded._

_Noticing the sudden tension in her shoulders as she used the doorway for support Swagger swore under his breath. The last thing he'd wanted to do when trying to turn over a new leaf was alienate the one person he felt an extremely strong connection with right from the beginning._

_Hauling his bags into the room in question he noticed the pillow top king size bed with the puffy blue comforter and realized he had defiantly traded up. It's not that he didn't like his place in the mountains. In fact he was going to miss it terribly; but he hadn't had a bed like this while living there. And being around all these people. The easy repor he started with them. Well all of them but one; made him realize how much he'd missed human contact over the years. How rusty his manners and people skills were. _

_Feeling like he should try to patch things up Swagger went back out to the living room to find her yapping away on her cell phone. From the look of worry that furrowed her brow and the authoritative way she was speaking he could tell it was a business rather then pleasure call. Sensing his prescience once again she turned to him with an eye roll as she mouthed the word sorry. _

_Raising his hand in a gesture that conveyed it was no problem he decided to take a glance at the kitchen. Bigger then the one in his cabin it was made of gleaming stainless steel, gray granite countertops and polished cheery cabinets. It was complete with all the amenities of home so that if he didn't want to eat out he could cook something and call it a night. Attempt to cook was more like it. Then again if there happened to be some freshly killed rabbit or other woodlen creature in the freezer he was golden. Those were about the only things he __could _cook.

Hearing her let out an exasperated sigh as she closed her phone he looked up from rummaging through the fridge; surprised to find it fully stocked; to see her standing in the doorway rubbing a hand over her temple. Figuring that now wasn't the greatest time to give a heartfelt apology he settled for the universal question.

"Everything okay?" He questioned.

Hoisting herself up on the counter; setting the piece of technology she was now considering to be the devil reincarnate next to her Eden tried not to scream at him in frustration. Tried not to scream in frustration in general.

What had been elation moments earlier now turned to pure anger. Micheal had just called to tell her that they had been able to narrow down the three places the shot could be taken from to just one; Philadelphia. Which meant that she and Swagger were going to have to be up bright and early to be on a plane headed to Pennsylvania no later then six o'clock. Because they were suppose to be posing as being on a business trip for an affiliate security company they helped on occasion it was going to be a long day of pretending to actually be doing something.

That was the good news. Recon and surveillance was something she could handle. Something she was sure Swagger was use to. With it only being around four o'clock they were still going to have time to get the rest of the gunnery sergeants first day procedures out of the way and get to bed at a decent hour. Even after she went to the dinner with him that her mother had basically suckered her into.

Then she'd received a call from the client she'd spoken to earlier in the day and was informed that her services along with Swaggers were going to be required tonight instead of Monday. And with it being Friday night and the fact that the young woman they were going to be guarding was very much into the club scene they were going to be stuck at god only knows what bar or club until four o'clock in the morning. She didn't know about him but over the past year her tolerance to be able to function on little to no sleep had waned now that she was no longer in the service.

"How do you feel about packed clubs with loud music and not getting home till four in the morning then having to get up at six to be on a plane headed for Pennsylvania?" Eden wondered.

Taking a bottle of water out of the fridge he tossed one to her; shutting the door before leaning against the counter across from her. "Well seems how I haven't ever tried that particular scenario I couldn't tell you my feelings on the subject."

"Well you're about to find out." Eden informed.

Hanging his head he tried not to groan. "Something tells me I'm not going to like what you have to tell me but go ahead and explain."

"Part of trying to make it look like we have no idea what Johnson and his men have planned means taking on other cases in the local area as well as those that require travel so that incase there's an inquiry as to why we happen to be in a particular state we have a valid reason." Eden explained. "Anyway I spoke to a client this morning who wants to hire protection for his daughter. Apparently she got a nude picture of herself in the tabloids and it pissed someone off a whole hell of a lot."

"You're kidding me right?" Swagger couldn't believe the craziness of it.

"I wish I was but unfortunately for the both of us I'm not." Eden grimaced. "She was attacked about a week ago. Her current at the time but now former bodyguards were able to get to her before too much damage was done but they lost track of the guy. A copy of the picture in question was left at the scene."

"Why didn't they just go to the cops?" Swagger questioned.

"Because the father wanted to keep the incident discreet." Eden stated. "He's a very prominent business man in the D.C. area. Has a reputation for running a very tight ship. It wouldn't look good if he let his daughter run off and get beaten up then it be all over the news the next day. According to him things were bad enough when the picture of her was released."

"So he hired you guys to take care of it because you can blend into a crowad and get things done without a badge getting in the way." Swagger finished.

"Exactly." Eden hopped off the counter. " And tonight the princess and her father require our services to keep her safe while she goes clubbing."

"Wait a minute; _our _services?" Swagger raised an eyebrow. "You mean to tell me that I have to actually go _inside _these places? I can't just cover the outside?"

"We already have that taken care of." Eden assured. "And yes I'm telling you you have to go inside. This girl is stuck up, spoiled and thinks that she can manipulate people to get whatever she wants. That in turn my friend makes this a two person job."

"Yeah but wouldn't it be better to have another woman tag along?" Swagger reasoned. "That why if she does try something the person in question won't be thinking with the head between it's legs."

Not at all shocked by his statement Eden couldn't help but laugh as he tried to think of any possible reason he could to get out of it. Personally it was the last thing on the planet she wanted to do but in the end there was no other choice.

"Well there's a little problem with that scenario." Eden informed.

"And what exactly is that?" Swagger was curious.

"Because besides my mother I'm the only other woman that works here." Eden reminded. "And last time I checked she loved going to those kind of places as much as she likes getting her teeth pulled."

"Then she and I agree on something already." Swagger said.

Hopping down off the counter she stood in front of him; placing a hand in his chest. Once again being reminded why she was trying to keep her distance from him after that kiss in the living room. But in order to make her point she kept it there; trying to ignore her racing pulse.

"Look I'm not happy about it either but think of it this way." Eden supplied. "We just have to get through tonight then we can get the ball rolling on sending Johnson and his little plan to hell. Not to mention we'll be one step closer to getting what's going to end up being some seriously needed sleep."

Thinking straight was hard to do when she was touching him. And it wasn't like she was running her hands all over his body while her tongue was shoved down his throat either. It was a light pressure of her small but strong hand against this broad chest. But it sent his temperature sky rocketing through the roof and his heart beating a mile a minute. More then that though it was her eyes that did him in.

A mixture of ice and cornflower blue in color with silver rimming the pupils they were the most unusual color he'd ever seen. A color that someone could get lost in if you gave them half the chance. And he was getting more then half a chance right now. It was in that moment as they stood there in silence; her waiting for him to respond that he realized he would do anything she asked of him. With just one look from those orbs of hers he'd walk through fire if she asked.

Snapped out of his day dream from that revelation like he'd been slapped across the face for saying something offensive Swagger resisted the urge to throw her hand off him like it had the plague. None of these feelings were going to do him or her any good.

As much as he trusted the team at FLJ to watch his back when out on an assignment trusting Eden Blackmoore with his heart was something he wasn't quite ready to do yet.

"Fine." Swagger spoke after a moment.

"Great!" Eden checked her watch. "We have to meet them at their apartment in the city at nine. So that gives us enough time to get your guns locked away in the armory, get your sig sauer issued, get some dinner, and me to tell you what's going to be happening in Pennsylvania. That's if we walk while we talk."

Following her out the door into the wood floored hallway Swagger reached out to grab her hand; stopping her in mid sentence as she explained the op to be done in Philadelphia. The quizzical look on her face when she turned to him was almost comical if it wasn't for the tempered heat he saw there as well.

"I think you're going to owe me more then dinner after tonight." He informed.

Skin feeling like it was on fire from the power of the desire she saw in his blue green eyes Eden tried hard to swallow past the lump in her throat. Part of her knew exactly what he wanted and wished he would ask for it. The other more logical part hoped and prayed that he wouldn't. Getting involved with any man right now; let alone one she worked with was simply not an option.

Romantic entanglements that involved feelings and emotions were nothing but trouble; she'd learned that a long time ago. Plus she had the strange feeling that the man who was waiting for an answer would be the one who could actually break her heart for good.

Stepping forward she brushed her body against his as she whispered in his ear. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

With that she walked away; not waiting for him to get his bearings before she continued to talk about the assignment in Philadelphia once again. Despite the seriousness and strength in her voice her hands were shaking from what she'd just done. It was only the slightest of body contact. The slightest of skin on skin but it was enough to send her hormones through the roof. Again the little voice inside her head told her that she shouldn't have done it. That it was a mistake.

Then again she'd always been one to play with fire and see if she got burnt.


	6. Chapter 6

**Finally; another chapter. For all those who have been waiting in the wings for this I completely apologize. As with the other story I have posted my muse seemed to have left me for quite some time but is now hopefully here to stay. **

**My spell check happens to be having some serious issues at the moment so if there are major errors I'll apologize for that as well. **

**I know you're all probably waiting for the exciting stuff and it will be coming but first I wanted to get some back story set up between Swagger and Eden so that people would understand where they were both coming from. **

**Again I own nothing dealing with Shooter or any other movies I may happen to mention. **

**Thanks to all of those who have reviewed and keep them coming.**

**And at last; enjoy!**

**Chapter 6**

"It's okay; you can do this." Eden told herself. "You're tougher than this."

Standing in front of the full length mirror in her bedroom the young woman knew that the pep talk she was currently giving herself was not going to cut it. Of course there was no one to blame about this current predicament but her.

Having iniated the encounter between them in the hallway over an hour ago she'd known it was a bad idea the minute they'd touched. Running a hand over her lips she could still feel his skin under them. Could remember the heat she'd seen in his eyes; knowing it was mirroring her own. That wasn't how it was suppose to go. He wasn't suppose to know that she was having any kind of reaction to the trick she was trying to play on him.

Instead she might as well have put a neon sign over her head the size of Montana that said I'm hot for you so why beat around the bush. Let's go back to my apartment and have wild, crazy monkey sex.

Problem with that was they worked together. Actually there were two issues with that now that she thought about it. The other being she now had visions of them sweaty and naked; sprawled on her bed. Hands running over that incrediable chest of his.

Cursing under her breath she strapped her hunting knife to the outside of her hiking boot; needing to stamp down the lust that had reared it's ugly head. Pant leg back in place she took in her reflection and realized there was no way in hell those feelings she'd seen in his eyes could last.

Dark hair pulled back in a French braid; few pieces escaping to frame her face. Little make up there was nothing special about her. Always one for flawless skin she had no need for a ton of goup on her face. However the slightly dark circles that had started to form and the hint of paleness under her usual tan made her look less than attractive.

Black t-shirt that read security in white letters in the back was fitted to her body; leaving just enough room to conceal her weapon slightly. Which helped her less than stellar outfit just a hair. Jeans dark washed and bootcut they fit her long legs to a tee but still comfortable to move in. Only jewlery her wide leather banded watch and Saint Christopher medal secured underneath her shirt she would blend into the shadows to an extent. Which was the exact effect they'd all be going for tonight.

Grabbing her glock and jacket off the bed she locked the door before heading to the living room. Problem was she didn't want to look normal tonight. Now when they were going to be in club after club with girls wearing next to nothing. Ten out of ten grabbing Swaggers ass and stuffing their numbers in his pocket. Especially the one they were in charge of babysitting tonight.

Known for her party ways and numerous one night stands she'd no doubt try to get him wrapped around her manicured little finger.

Grimacing at the thought she headed to the kitchen; needing something to cool down the anger she could feel burning. Though she knew he would resist for a little while it only lasted so long. Eventually just like every other red blooded male he'd decide with the head between his legs and not the one on his shoulders.

Snatching a bottle of water from the fridge with much more force than necessary Eden instantly felt bad about her thoughts. Judging every man based on the one that screwed her over the most wasn't fair. The ex-marine had been nothing but kind to her since his arrival. Good at reading people she'd seen no ulterior motive in his manner.

Just the drive to prove to her as well as her family and the few other members of their firm that he was the right man for the job. In a sense he was trying to get his life back. And for that she couldn't stay mad.

Woman just drove her crazy sometimes. Instead of talking out their problems and coming to you personally they were coniving and bitchy. Something that was one of her biggest pet peeves. Maybe it was because she'd grown up in the type of family where you faced things head on. There was no other way.

Then there was her favorite kind. Young and old alike who would hit on a married man like it was going out of style no matter how many times they flashed their wedding rings. Especially men as handsome as her brothers. Having lost track of how many times she'd seen it when they provided security at parties and political events the young romanian felt her mean start to rise all over again.

Probably the reason she had very few female friends. She was too much like a guy.

Lost in thought she didn't realize her light jacket had fallen to the floor until she went to reach for it and found air. Frowning she came around the counter; kneeling to pick it up.

Hoping all the while she wouldn't have to punch someone in the face tonight because her sudden emotions towards the ex-marine were blinding her judgement.

**%%%%%%%%%%%**

Good timing had always been kind of fuzzy to him.

Reaching out he knocked on Eden's door; a few seconds passing before he heard a thud and her cursing up a storm. Unsure of what to do he put one hand on his gun; the other rapping on the wood barrier once again.

"Everything okay in there?" He called.

Mere heartbeats passed; his own thumping wildly in his ears as he waited for her to respond. Despite his resolve while getting ready to let the job come first. To prove he was worthy of the chance they'd given him and let emotions come last his heart was singing a different tune.

How it had happened he wasn't sure. Though his thoughts had wandered earlier to the possability of something blossoming between them the more he mulled over it the more confused he became. Hell the first time they'd met they were at each others throats. Now they were being nice to each other. Who knew how long that would last.

The rational part of him knew this was all a bunch of bull crap to prevent his self from getting hurt. Rejection from a woman wasn't something he'd faced in a long time. Coming from Eden he knew it would hurt worse than usual. Ready to kick the door in when he didn't hear anything after a minute the rattle of the lock stopped him.

Face scrunched; bangs falling in her eyes while she rubbed the back of her head the young romainian looked cuter than anyone who was capable of killing someone twenty different ways had the right to.

"Sorry it took me so long." She apologized.

"No problem. Everything good?" Swagger questioned.

"Yeah." Eden gestured for him to come in. "Just dropped my coat on the floor and when I went to get up you knocked on the door and scared the crap out of me. Banged my head on the counter."

"I didn't think anything scared you." Swagger turned to face her.

Dressed in much the same fashion she was his shirt clung to his arms and chest much as the white one he'd had on earlier in the day. Color didn't make a damn bit of difference when it came to trying to make his body look less drool worthy.

It was going to be one hell of a night.

Returning his smile she headed back to the kitchen; needed a drink before her dry mouth would work.

"More startled then anything." Eden countered. "And there's only one possible thing that could scare me tonight."

Waving off the feeling of awe he'd been involved in after being drawn to the pictures of her in uniform and camo; hanging with her men. The shelf of medals just below that he felt something else hit when their eyes met.

Thick hair pulled off her face much like it had been when they'd first met she wasn't in a heavy jacket which allowed him to appreciate her fit body all the more. Oggling it in front of her family during his first meeting earlier in the day wouldn't have been the wisest of choices.

Of course a woman who could make simple jeans and a t-shirt look like they were made specifically for them was a thing to behold. Then again he had the feeling that it was the fact that she looked born to handle the nine millimeter strapped to her side that got his blood boiling. Lust would be the easiest way to sum it all up and shove it off to the side. But as he watched her move around the kitchen in quick graceful movements Swagger knew there was nothing simple about what he was feeling where the ex-SEAL was concerned.

"And what would that be?" He finally spoke.

Handing him a bottle of water she hopped up on the counter; head still feeling a little tender. "Watching all those woman wearing next to nothing getting drunk and throwing themselves at random guys. Feeling sorry for the entire female population while at the same time pondering where it all went wrong."

Trying no to choke on the swallow he'd taken the gunnery sergeant leaned against the fridge; knowing she'd do just that. "You mean you never acted like that once upon a time?"

"Nope." Eden shook her head. "I joined the military right out of high school. They tend to frown upon that kind of drunken behavior."

"True but you didn't even go out when you were on leave and drink a little?" Swagger couldn't believe it.

"Go out; yes." Eden tipped her bottle towards him. "Drink yes. But drink till I couldn't see straight; no."

"I knew you weren't a complete angel." Swagger grinned.

"Really?" Eden raised a brow. "You learned all that from those couple of sentences?"

"No." Swagger shook his head. "Because anyone who was the guts to join the SEAL's has to have some sort of wild side."

"There are those that would call it being crazy rather than a wild streak." Eden lowered herself off the counter.

'You willingly let yourself go through hell before going to countries no one knows the names of to do things you'll take to the grave for people who don't even give a damn." Swagger mulled it over. "Yeah guess that is crazy."

Coat on her eyes drifted to the same wall the man had been studying moments ago. To the picture that had been taken just before the last mission. It had marked her hundreth one as team leader. Despite the fact that it was against regulations she'd allowed it anyway. Her XO had a sister who was a photographer and would keep hush hush about it. Of course there was really no way to tell who they exactly were but in their line of work that kind of caution was the difference between life and death.

"That may be so but I wouldn't trade it for anything." Eden whispered.

Being here with her like this; just shooting the shit before they left made the marine forget that in a way she knew what he'd been through. Though he didn't know her service record being in special forces was a dangerous profession. Casualties were an unfourtanate part of that. Hopefully on the enemies side rather than yours.

"Spoken like a true warrior." Swagger joined her.

Pushing back the tears that threatened to overwhelm her for the first time since she could remember Eden gave a wan smile. However the concern in his eyes nearly undid her.

Last mission a clusterfuck of epic proportions she'd been able to get her men out alive if not completely unharmed. However in the process she'd lost two things most important to her. One she was hoping to slowly regain and another she could never get back.

"I haven't been a warrior in a long time." She confessed.

Reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder in comfort; not sure if doing anything more would be appropriate; he stopped short when a knock sounded on the door before it opened.

"Eden you ready to go we still have to grab…." Micheal trailed off when he saw the man in question standing next to her. "Never mind you're already here."

"We were just going over some last minute details." Swagger Spoke.

"Good." Micheal shut the door behind him. "Saves me having to."

"And what makes you think I wouldn't have?" Eden questioned.

"Sis god love you but you have a tendency to rush through things." Micheal reminded.

"I do not!" Eden gasped.

"All these years and it's still so easy to pick on you." Micheal swung an arm around her shoulders.

"Micheal James Brockmann I swear to god don't mess with me right now or I'll kick your ass." Eden growled.

"Why so serious?" Micheal wondered.

"Because she's going to have a night full of wondering where the female population went wrong." Swagger answered.

No stranger to the way his sister felt about woman who made asses out of themselves drunk or sober the youngest Brockmann male was curious about this inside joke that had formed between them. Despite the fact that they thought they were being coy everyone in the office; well family members anyway; saw the little things that made it obvious that another wedding was in the cards. If he was to say that particular statement out loud to anyone outside of his family they'd think he was crazy. After all it'd only been about six hours since they'd met.

Didn't matter. In a family full of people who could read someone like a book it didn't take long for them to catch on to the signs. Even if the two in question were clueless themselves.

"At least you don't have to worry about getting your ass pinched or groped like a fur coat." Micheal pointed out.

"I'm sure Alicia loves that." Eden grinned.

"About as much as she liked it when I went ONCONUS for six months at a time." Micheal informed.

"Ouch." Eden grimaced. "Good thing she's on assignment right now."

"I still called to give her an update." Micheal offered. "If she could've reached through the phone and strangled me I have a feeling she would have."

"Something tells me you wife wouldn't be the jealous type." Swagger observed.

"Correct." Micheal agreed. "It annoys her more than anything."

"Well my dear brother you can inform her that you are not alone in this particular adventure." Eden grinned.

Noting the mischeif in her gaze Swagger had the strange feeling he was in for a whole hell of a lot more than he bargained for with this.


	7. Chapter 7

And finally here we have it; another chapter complete. My muse seems to come and go as it wishes; leaving me with nothing to work with. It is a shame. But it's back; for how long I have no idea so I'm going to try to make the most of it.

To all those that have read and reviewed thank you for the support. I know you're all looking for the interesting stuff to come and I promise that it will.

Keep the reviews coming and Enjoy!

I own nothing dealing with shooter or any other movies I may mention. Though I wish I did…..(insert evil laugh)

Chapter 7

"**Heads up; the princess is on the move."**

**Hearing Todd's voice in his ear piece Swagger nodded to the chauffer to open the door to the SUV; scanning one area as Eden watched the other.**

**One thing for certain she hadn't been kidding when she said the woman lived in the life size version of the Malibu Barbie house. The only thing missing was the pink paint and convertible in the garage. **

**While this was considered work he did have to admit he'd gotten some comic relief out of the running commentary the two brothers had going about the activities in the house. He and the young SEAL had been tasked with keeping the outside secure. Apparently the heiress had no problems with walking around in her birthday suit in front of them while she got ready for her night out on the town. Probably hoping she'd get lucky with one of them before the night was over with.**

**Nine had been the estimated time of departure for their little caravan. Unfortunately their charge had other things in mind; obviously not having been ready when they arrived. Late nights not being his thing these days he'd been none too happy to have to wait around.**

**The one upside to freezing his ass off was getting the chance to talk to Eden some more. It was an amazing thing when a woman could carry on a conversation; jokes included; while scanning the perimeter for potential threats. Honestly he'd been expecting her to clam up. To keep it to strictly business and nothing else. But she'd been open and funny as hell.**

**Talked about how she missed the men from her team but was glad she'd gotten out when she had. Her favorite junk food was Reese's pieces and that she hated working out sometimes. On her days off she liked to go for long walks in the park or sit home and watch old movies if it rained. Getting a dog was the one thing she wanted to do most but her schedule was so hectic that it didn't seem plausible.**

**Being as open about his self had been like pulling teeth. When a person was isolated from the rest of the world for so long their social skills tended to become a little rusty. Hence the reason he'd pulled a gun on her. That and there was the little fact about several other strange people having sought him out in the same day.**

**Plus there really wasn't much to tell. Growing up as an only child there weren't any memories shared with siblings. And his father had been career Marines. Unlike hers he'd never bothered to try and make time for his family.**

"**And the fun begins." Eden mumbled.**

**Stifling the urge to laugh he looked in the direction of the Cinderella like front steps and had to admit that the ex-SEAL had been right.**

**Blonde hair curled and puffed up with enough hairspray to kill the ozone it was almost white as snow. Overly tan from too much time on a boat in some tropical water while servants brought her drinks no doubt showing as much skin as possible was the name of the game.**

**Top made of barely there pink satin it had to have some kind of ribbing to cling to her skinny frame and hold what was covered of her enormous chest. As she walked down the stairs; heavily made up eyes trained on him; he could see a pink diamond centered in the middle of a playboy bunny belly button ring wink in the overhead lights.**

**Instantly he felt his self try not to cringe as she swung her hips in an over exaggerated fashion towards him. Black mini skirt with it's rhinestone belt hardly making it down to the bottom of her ass. Stilettos giving height to her all of five two frame.**

**From what he'd been told she was all of about twenty two years old but did the whole too much make up and not enough clothes thing to look older. Classic case of rebelling against daddy's strict rules in order to get attention. Plus the little fact that she was use to getting everything she wanted when she wanted it.**

**Unfortunately for her he preferred black haired beauties who wore jeans and t-shirts that knew how to handle a glock. Like the one trying to hide the you've got to be kidding me look from her face as the all plastic no brains client planted herself right in front of him.**

**Looks like it's going to her unlucky night.**

"**Well what do we have here?" She drawled.**

"**It's called a man. Something I'm sure you've studied extensively." Eden answered sweetly.**

**Shooting daggers at her the woman turned her full attention back to him once again; all sunshine and not so subtle seduction as she placed a hand on his chest.**

"**And what's your name darlin'?" She cooed.**

"**Swagger ma'am." He firmly removed her limb from his body; letting it flop to her side.**

**Undeterred she invaded his personal space yet again; this time reaching out to run her index finger over the slight stubble he'd forgotten to shave. "Is that your first or last name cowboy?" She purred.**

**Deciding to put an end to this before she tried to rip his clothes off in front of everyone. Not to mention Eden seriously looked like she was torn between vomiting or smacking the woman across the back of the head he stepped back. Turning her so that she in between the opening of the SUV and him.**

"**Just Swagger ma'am." He informed. "Now if you don't mind we really should get going."**

**Anger flashed in her eyes at his dismissal but she forged ahead anyway; determined to get a rise out of him one way or another. Then again it could be to piss Eden off. Who as the woman pressed her body against his; reaching around to squeeze his ass had to look away with a white knuckled grip on the door. No doubt to hide the fact that she was raring and ready to punch the client square in her heavily make upped jaw.**

"**So you're my babysitter for the night." She took a moment to look him up and down like he was a piece of meat; something she apparently hadn't done enough of upon first entering. "Well I'll be damned if daddy didn't actually do something right for once."**

"**Actually Ms. Blackmore is in charge." Swagger all but shoved her in the back of the Tahoe. "So she'll be watching over you. I'm just here as back up."**

**Words escaping her as she watched the scene play out Eden thought she was in the twilight zone. By now most men; with the exception of her brothers and father; would gladly be down on all fours licking her feet if she so much as asked; job be damned. And here the marine was proving her wrong by all but telling the woman he had herpes to get her to back off. Suddenly she had a new found appreciation for the male species. Or at least this one in particular.**

"**That doesn't mean you can't sit in the back with me on the way there." She pouted; sticking her head out the door; unwilling to give up. **

"**What do you think Eden?" Swagger turned his attention to the raven haired SEAL. "It's your call."**

**Urge to want him to squirm by placing him in the back because he'd thrown her so off balance rearing it's ugly head she clamped it down. The last thing they needed was a distraction. She may not care for the woman but there was no way in hell she was going to let her die on her watch. Plus pissing her off just made things easier to bear.**

"**Actually my brother needs you in the front SUV to discuss a couple of things concerning another case." Eden turned her attention to the woman who looked like she was going to spit fire out of her nose. "So looks like you'll have me to keep you company Malibu Barbie."**

"**This is ridiculous." She huffed. "Once my father finds out about this you'll never get another job around here again." **

"**Don't be so sure about that." Eden stepped between Swagger and the girl. "I have specific instructions from him, and I quote "If Melanie does anything to disrupt your job I want to be notified upon your return from her night out." So believe me I'm not worried in the slightest."**

"**How do I know he even said that?" She climbed her way out of the car. 'You could just be saying that to get me to cooperate."**

**Sick of her childish attitude and the disrespect she was showing Eden the Marine decided it was time to step in. Here they were putting their lives on the line for her and all she gave them in return was a hard time. That was so not the way it was going to work and if need be he'd take all the blame for any negative feed back the princess or her father gave Mr. Blackmore.**

"**Because I was there when the call came through." Swagger stood next to his boss. "Now we can do this the easy way so you can go out and have fun or keep you locked in your room while we stand guard all night. Which is it going to be?"**

**Impressed to say the least at how he'd managed to bluff his way through that Eden hoped he realized what he might be in for. While the young woman's father had given her specific instructions to make sure his daughter cooperated it didn't mean he wouldn't get pissed off at someone else telling her what to do. And in a sense he was going to take the fall out from whatever her father had to say. **

**A man willing to get the job done at any and all costs she wasn't sure how kindly he'd take to the new guy technically pulling rank. But as she watched him stand his ground; refusing to back down from the mean girl pout; she had the feeling her father would be okay with it. Even laugh maybe. **

"**Fine." Melanie planted her hands on her hips. "But this isn't over."**

"**I wouldn't expect it to be." Swagger all but pushed the girl into the vehicle for the second time that night. **

**Door securely closed Eden nodded to the driver; telling him to stay alert as they headed towards the lead car. Speaking quickly into her mike; telling everyone to get into position; that they'd be on the road momentarily she turned her attention to the man she'd dubbed the rookie. Arms crossed over his chest; causing his jacket to strain against his muscles and her mouth go dry as he tried hard to stop a smirk from crossing his face. And failing miserably.**

"**Okay you just had way too much fun doing that." She informed.**

"**There's just something about telling a prissy socialite to basically kiss your ass that makes a man want to smile." Swagger shrugged.**

"**Well even though is wasn't a hardship for you thanks." Eden was grateful. "It wasn't necessary."**

"**Yes it was." Swagger countered. "There was no way I was going to let her trash the good reputation your families built for FLJ just because she couldn't have her way."**

"**Figured because you're the new guy it'd be easier for you to deal with any possible fall out." Eden surmised.**

"**Pretty much." Swagger agreed. "And on a personal note I just wanted to piss her off because she kept looking at me like a rack of meat."**

"**In that case I've got some bad news for you." Eden confessed.**

"**And what would that be?" Swagger turned from getting ready to step into the vehicle.**

"**You're going to have to get use to it." Eden reminded. "Much as I'm sure you'd love to piss off every female that'll do that tonight we don't have time. And even **_**you'll**_** run out of insults after a while."**

"**You could always help me and I can do likewise when the guys become too much." Swagger offered. "It could make the night go by faster."**

"**For a second there you sounded like a lot of the guys from my old team." Eden made to walk away. "Which means I'm definitely going to take a rain check that I'll probably never use."**

"**Damn; and here I thought we'd both get to have a little fun." Swagger slapped his thigh.**

**Turning to walk backwards she just gave him a you've got to be kidding look. "Considering I'm rarely if ever hit on I'd have to say a big fat no to that."**

**Once she was out of ear shot Swagger turned to the oldest Blackmore child; having come over as he saw his sister making her way back to the middle SUV. "Is she serious?"**

"**To herself yes; everyone else not so much." Todd confirmed. "Problem is Eden's been around guys so long that she knows every trick in the book. So as far as she concerned their being nothing more then a big pain in the ass."**

"**Special forces isn't exactly the best to group to judge the rest of us by." Swagger argued.**

**Following the other mans lead as he hopped in the car; having heard the woman who was the current topic of conversation give the go order; Todd got comfortable in the drivers seat before turning to the ex-Marine. "While I agree with that it's not just the spec ops world she has trouble with. Most men see her looks and nothing else at first. But when they get past all that it's never pretty."**

"**Basically they don't like the fact that she can kick the shit out of them if they get out of line." Swagger put it together as they headed out of the drive way.**

"**That or the fact that she's independent and actually has a brain in her head rather then just air." Todd concluded.**

"**Most don't see past the outer shell." Swagger could see how that was a problem.**

"**Would you upon first meeting her?" Todd checked to make sure everything was good with the other two SUV's as they started into the city traffic. "She's my sister and I even I have to agree that she could've made a crap ton of money modeling for a living rather then joining the military."**

"**No." Swagger agreed to the first part of his statement. "It didn't take me long to see otherwise though; she made sure of that."**

"**And she always will." Todd warned. "Eden believes that while a physical attraction is necessary to make any kind of relationship work it shouldn't be the entire reason why you're with someone. What they have to offer past that should matter a great deal more."**

"**Is it just me or did this conversation stray into some strange territory considering your sister and I just met a couple of days ago." Swagger decided to just go for it rather then beat around the bush.**

**Attention fully focused on the other man now that they were stopped at a red light Todd realized he had steered their talk into something that could be a possible bad subject for him. There was no mistaking how the Marine felt about the only Blackmore daughter. Bringing up his love life; or potential lack there of; was a sore spot for some men. Unfouratently for him their family wasn't known for their tact.**

"**Considering the fact that she's gotten along better with you then any other non-family male not really." The oldest Blackmore confirmed.**

"**When we first met she just about kicked my ass." Swagger confessed. "So I'm not sure that assessment is correct."**

"**That's normal for Eden." Todd assured. "But warming up to someone isn't."**

"**She's been hurt pretty bad in the past; hasn't she?" Swagger concluded.**

**Glad the mans ability to read people was as good as they'd been expecting Todd wasn't sure how to answer that. What had seemed like a lifetime ago but in all reality had only been three years crept back into all their minds from time to time. His sisters more so then anyone else. Though she was one of the strongest people he knew next to his wife and mother she'd been through hell on that last mission that had nearly taken her life. **

"**No more then most that come from the spec ops world." Todd answered. "She's a tough one though. And the fact that you picked up something she's becoming very good at hiding tells me you care about her." **

"**She's my partner; of course I care about her." Swagger shrugged his shoulders.**

"**I'm going to let you in on a little secret." Todd checked the review mirror before he spoke again. "You can't bluff a Blackmore; we always know when you're flat out lying or twisting the truth."**

**Cursing under his breath Swagger felt nervous again for the second time that day. Lying to the people who had given him a second chance at having a life wasn't something he wanted to ever do. But keeping his growing feelings for the only Blackmore daughter a secret was going to take everything he had. As welcoming a family as they were they were extremely protective of their own; Eden especially. Why he wasn't sure but something told him it had to do with her time in the service. **

**What unnerved him more then anything was how calmly the other man was sitting there; waiting for him to contemplate what he was going to say next.**

"**Okay so I care about her for reasons other then the fact that she's my partner." Swagger spoke. "How the hell it happened in such a short time I don't know and frankly that annoys me."**

"**It'll continue to annoy you until you decide to do something about it." Todd pointed out. "But a word to the wise before you do; Eden is not an easy person when it comes to letting her guard down. Which is why I brought up this conversation. You've done something no other man has been able to do. And I think that scares the shit out of you."**

"**I sense a but coming…" Swagger interrupted.**

"**Good radar because there is one." Todd praised. "And that would be that your in so far over your head after only a few short days that it outweighs the nerves."**

"**Just out of curiosity how did you come to that conclusion?" Swagger felt his self starting to sweat.**

"**The way you looked at her when we first arrived at the office. How you were staring at her while my dad went through our other cases." Todd shot him a knowing smile. "And you thought no one was watching."**

"**Some how getting caught staring at my bosses daughter doesn't freak me out as much as I expected." Swagger admitted. **

"**Maybe because it's not the boss who's having this talk with you." Todd reminded. "But a word to the wise he did notice. And we aren't going to hinder any relationship you may want to pursue with Eden because we like you. We wouldn't have given you this opportunity if we didn't. Just remember the kind of family you're dealing with."**

**Information from the file he'd been given on the company; Blackmore family in particular; flashed across his mind. Soon the woman in questions smiling face came into view; changing to a scowl as she watched Melanie prance down the stairs. Anyone of her protectors, even her included, could kill him twenty different ways if he crossed her and not give a damn about it. But the feelings welling up inside whenever he thought of the ex-SEAL were too strong to just push aside. **

"**I'm so screwed; aren't I?" Swagger spoke aloud. **

"**You have no idea." Todd agreed.**

**A/N: Or does he? Swagger's a quick study so you never know…..**


	8. Chapter 8

**And you thought I was going to be cruel and leave you waiting for the good stuff for oh another month or so…**

**Well it just so happens I'm in a good mood and this came to me spur of the moment at like ten o'clock at night when I was at the computer so if it sucks please don't kill me.**

**Again I own nothing dealing with shooter blah, blah, blah….**

**Please keep reviewing and enjoy!**

**Chapter 8**

"Is this the fifth or sixth one we've been to tonight?" Chris spoke into his mike. "I've lost count."

"Actually it's the seventh." Swagger answered. "Hell what am I saying I don't even know."

Snorting her agreement as she kept in step next to him; short distance from the client; Eden was surprised she could even hear any more. Use to the noise of MP-16's and hand guns going off literally millimeters from her ear. Claymore and other explosives only feet the young SEAL could feel a massive headache starting to form at the base of her skull from the beat of the music coming from the gigantic speakers. Bass up so high it vibrated your entire body not to mention the floor beneath it.

"How can you even tell we're in a different one." Micheal grumbled in their ears. "They all look the goddamn same."

No one stepped up to argue about that particular fact because they knew he was right. Truth be told though out of all the ones they'd had to be dragged back and forth to all night this one looked slightly different. One thing they'd all found out was that miss party all night liked places that had several levels to them. This one was no exception.

Made with extremely high cathedral ceilings it was an old church that had been converted to a dance club. Stain glass windows surprisingly still intact as well as the stone walls there was a twenty foot wide catwalk going around the top right below said windows. Tables and chairs dotted the floor along with a small bar; lights glowing in shades of blue and silver underneath it.

Several sets of stairs led down to the second level which was a platform raised about fifteen feet off the ground. Wider then the third it stopped three quarters of the way around; a dj's booth taking up the rest of the wall. Two speakers the size of Blackhawk's stacked on top of one another stood on either side; pumping out a rap song of some sort at the moment. Behind the man playing the music was a huge projection screen; what looked to be music videos running across it. Two bars much the same as the one on the third level were placed on opposite sides.

Final level was the biggest of them all; crowded with massive amounts of people. Dressed in next to nothing all the way up to fully clothed. Grinding against each other; most drunk. Others sober and hoping to score big tonight. Sad part was the woman that were shit faced severally out weighed the men. Making Eden realize why she never use to go out when she was younger. Their current charge was no exception.

After making a trip to the bathroom; thankfully situated down a short hall to the left when you first walked in; she was presentable enough as she put it; to make her way out to the dance floor. One thing the young Romanian had to give her props for was the fact that she held her alcohol well. Though she may get drunk quick once she was there she stayed consistent. Never needing someone to carry her or guide her away from crashing into someone or something. Which told them all that she went out way too often and drank way too much.

Gaze going skyward for a minute she was confident that everything was good to go. As with the other places they'd been to she kept herself and Swagger with the client. Micheal and Todd were on the second floor; never straying too far from each other should the need arise that they had to jump into action in a hurry. Chris and another of their men Mark; an ex-Delta Force guy and one hell of a shot; were already at designated posts. Keeping surveillance low key and chatter to a minimum unless needed.

If the young woman felt the urge to head to the third floor she and Swagger would follow. They were sticking to her like glue and had been since entering the first club. Good thing about this place though was that the dance floor while packed was still a hell of a lot bigger then the other ones. Which gave them more room to maneuver if a quick get away was needed. And kept her severe case of claustrophobia; something she'd never had a problem with before; at bay.

As for the outside there was one person each in the three SUV's they'd commandeered for the assignment. Two ex-Army Rangers, one having been part of the FBI. The other a man she'd known for a long time; who'd worked on the Secret Service after being a Marine Recon solider for ten years. A man she could talk to about anything. At one point she had the funny feeling her family had thought she and Phillip would get married and settle down. To their great disappointment it just wasn't in the cards. They were too much like brother and sister for that to ever happen. He'd been gone on another assignment until a couple of hours before they were suppose to leave. When they'd come to the conclusion that everyone else they could possibly use was already taken he volunteered. Lack of sleep aside he said he was ready to go. Father a little skeptical Eden believed him. The man was like a machine.

Signaling that she was going to stay with the client while Swagger broke off to do a walk about Eden had to say that as he gave her a nod and wink before breaking away the night hadn't been a total bust. Instead of being stuck with another male who was going to be wiping drool from his chin when Melanie started dancing like she was basically going to have sex on the dance floor with every guy she came across he would make as if he was about to throw up. And every time she made an advance he'd politely; or not given the circumstances; decline and tell her there was a guy at the bar checking her out who looked like he was loaded. Come to find out there wasn't then she was pretty pissed off. Which gave them both a laugh. Even more so was the fact that she forgot about it two seconds later when another of her many "friends" came up to her wanting to dance and drink.

All in all it had turned out to not be such a horrible experience. He'd kept her from wanting to fall asleep or strangle the woman. Hopefully she'd been able to the same thing in return. Problem with that was the promise she'd made to herself to push all her feelings aside was slowly starting to fade. There was just something about him that she was unable to just remain neutral. To turn her emotions on and off like a light switch as she had so many times before.

It wasn't the fact that he was drop dead gorgeous; though it was a major plus. More so that he knew what it was like to be one of them. Trained as a killing machine but unable to do what the government had spent so much money on turning him into because they were worried about the governmental red tape. How he longed to be able to get his life back. To come back from the isolation he'd put his self in after losing his spotter over three years ago.

Weird sort of way they were one in the same. She'd long to be able to break free of the memories that haunted her since her last mission had gone to hell in a hand basket; before coming to join her fathers company. Saying you wanted it and the reality actually happening were two very different things. The mind was a strange organ. If left alone with their thoughts for too long; especially the ones that ex-special forces people usually had running through their heads; they were liable to go crazy. Given what they were capable of it was never a good option.

Focus back on the woman she'd dubbed Malibu Barbie the young solider watched as she made her way through the crowd; stopping to say hello to the countless people who either knew her or pretended that they did because it made them look good. Minutes later they finally made it to the middle of the dance floor. Personally she would've preferred to be on the outskirts incase the immediate urge to leave arose but trying to get the woman to do anything tonight had been like trying to get someone to confess to treason. Short of tying her to a chair and pulling out her finger nails one by one it was impossible. An option she'd considered a time or two.

Instead she kept a few feet away. Giving her her space while making sure things were kosher. Eyes scanning one place for no more then several seconds. Instincts were a big part of their job. Being able to catch things no one else saw an even bigger one. Someone wasn't able to do that they didn't belong in the special forces let alone private security. While the tiniest movement would seem like nothing to most people to someone like her it could mean a calm moment was about to turn into a huge goat fuck.

So far things had gone a lot smoother then any of them had anticipated. A couple of guys getting a little too bold or rough here and there but no one wielding a gun or knife. Which wasn't always that unusual. Nine times out of ten sociopaths were responsible for the kinds of threats made on the young socialites life. In turn that meant they were erratic. Never controlled and all over the board. Bad part about that was it was hard to predict their movements. Hard to know what they would do next and where. Which is why her father made sure to drill his favorite saying into the heads of everyone who worked for him; kids included.

_**Hope for the best; prepare for the worst.**_

Which was why she zeroed her gaze in on a guy that was approaching their client from the left; fedora pulled down low over his face; concealing his eyes. Dressed in all black he stood out in the crowd for the simple lack of color. More then that though it was the way he moved. Slow but not enough to draw anyone's attention as if he knew he was being watched. Best she could guess was the security cameras placed all over. He didn't want anyone to get a good look at his face. There was also the possibility that he knew she was traveling with a detail tonight.

Drawing attention to themselves was something they all knew was best avoided. But it was a hard things to do when they were all dressed in jeans and dark shirts; though baggy still didn't completely conceal the fact that they were all carrying. Best that money could buy for communications they were tiny microphones pinned to their shirts in the shape of American flags, strong enough to pick up what the others on the team were saying without making it look obvious. Ear pieces flesh colored and so tiny that no one would see them unless they sat and stared at you for hours on end.

Gracefully weaving his way through the mass of bodies he had the lean muscular build of someone who ran or swam on a daily basis. Muscles straining against his shirt he couldn't weigh more then a hundred and thirty pounds; a buck forty at the most. Clothes looking tailored to his body it didn't leave much room to hide anything but people could get creative if the occasion arose.

"Swagger what's your twenty?" Eden spoke into the mike; eyes still trained on their mystery man.

"Fifteen feet to your left." His voice rang in her ear.

"Look straight ahead; slightly at twelve o'clock. Guy in the black fedora moving towards Melanie." Eden informed.

"Think he's a threat?" Swagger was headed towards her.

"Not sure." Eden turned to him as he came to a stop next to her. "He's hiding his face with the hat; as if he doesn't want the camera to see him."

"Todd do you think you can get a picture of him with your phone and send it Phillip?" Swagger spoke.

Having heard the conversation the oldest proceeded to do just that. Thankful for the highly technical encrypted phone they all possessed he held it out as if he was looking at a text message or checking an email. In all reality he was trying to pinpoint the guys face from a top view; hoping if they could get a good shot their id software would tell them who the guy was and if he was actually a threat or just trying to be slick in order to get a girls attention.

Several attempts later it was a bust. Unless the guy raised his head skyward it wasn't going to happen. A fact he was none to happy with. His sister may be capable of taking of herself and in charge of the assignment but he still worried.

"No go." Todd answered. "Intercept him and see if you can get one. If not just steer him away from her without causing a lot of noise."

"Will do." Swagger answered. "You want to take the guy and I'll take the client or the other way around?"

Wishing she would say client so that he could take care of it and she wouldn't be in harms way the marine knew as he watched her run everything through her head that it wasn't going to happen. She was strong and capable and as much as he hated to admit it didn't need his help to look out for herself. A habit he knew she'd break him of rather quickly if he even attempted to be a knight in shining armor.

Through out the whole night it had been hard to see her as anything other then a woman who despite the pain she'd suffered in her life wanted to move on. Wanted to be able to be the carefree person she once was. Unfortunately those who took the step to join special forces were no longer aloud to have those kind of freedoms. The training; what they turned you into would be an ingrained part of your personality until the day they buried you six feet under. For those like the Blackmore family and he had admit his self; it was something you were born with.

Even the gun she had concealed under her t-shirt; the stories she told about her time with teams couldn't make him see her as any less of a woman. Conversation he'd had with her brother playing in his head over and over again. This was a woman that would tell you how it was going to be whether you wanted to hear it or not. A woman that he was having some strong feelings for in short amount of time and was finding it difficult to separate that from the fact that she was in all reality his boss.

Needless to say the words that came out of her mouth next surprised the hell out of him.

"Client." At the bewildered look on his face she explained. "If things go south and we have to shove her out of here it looks better if it's another woman rather then some big burly guy. Easier to explain to her father if she decides to throw a fit."

"What do you want me to do with the guy once I have a hold of him?" Swagger breathed a sigh of relief.

"Take him for a walk while kindly; and I stress the word kindly; asking him if he knows her." Eden answered. "And if not what was he doing walking through the club like he was getting ready to stab someone."

"Roger." Swagger headed off in that direction.

"Do you want back up?" Chris questioned.

"Negative." Eden answered. "Keep the perimeter up and secure until I tell you otherwise."

"Roger Commander." Four male voices rang in her ear.

Shaking her head at her brothers she gave the guys outside a heads up as to what the situation was. Telling them to stand down unless told different. Every time she was in charge of an op they liked to be a bunch of smartasses. Truth be told she'd rather have that then the over protective mode every male in their family tended to go into when they thought she could be in possible danger.

Pushing that aside she focused on the task at hand; weaving her way through the bodies to where Melanie was currently dancing with two guys who were either drunk, stoned, or both. Holster already unbuttoned she had her hand on the butt of her Glock as she put the other on the woman's shoulder; effectively extracting her from in between the human sandwich.

"Hey; what are you doing?" Malibu yanked her arm away in anger.

"We need to get you out of here; now." Eden informed.

"Why?" The young woman placed her hands on her hips; look of defiance on her sweat covered face.

"Because some guy who looked like he was about to go all Freddie Kruger on your ass was headed this way." Eden spoke.

Though she'd embellished the truth a tiny bit it was effective in rendering the client speechless for a moment; but not completely scaring the hell out of her. Minute her eyes narrowed and arms crossed over her chest the young SEAL knew this wasn't going to be easy.

"That's what you guys are here for." Melanie poked a perfectly manicured finger at her chest. "As long as you keep him away I can stay and have fun."

"Sorry Barbie it doesn't work that way." Eden yet again grabbed her arm. "It could get real ugly real quick and you dead is not part of the plan tonight."

"Then do your job and I won't have to worry about it." Melanie bit back.

She could tell the young woman was shaken by the way she fought hard to keep her bottom lip from trembling. Arms crossed in front of her chest in a protective manner. But even after everything she'd told her she still refused to leave the easy way. Opening her mouth to tell her that wasn't an option she was interrupted when the taller of the two men who'd been dancing with the young socialite got in the middle of them; giving her a leer.

Jet black hair shellacked with enough gel that a hurricane wouldn't move it his brown eyes were blood shot from alcohol and no doubt drugs. Nose was red; constantly rubbing it told her he'd snorted a hell of a lot of cocaine not too long ago. Which was going to add another complication to things. One she really didn't have the patient's to deal with.

"What's the rush babe?" He breathed. "Why not join the party?"

"Sorry; sleaze bag druggies aren't my type." Eden pushed him aside; grabbing a hold of Melanie's arm in the process.

Sensing movement on her other side she saw his companion coming to the rescue; looking just as drugged out as he was but some how more dangerous. Given that he had California surfer good looks she didn't know why she felt that way it was just something in her gut. A feeling she never ignored no matter how outlandish it may seem.

"My buddy said he want's you to stay and join the fun." Blondie reached for her arm.

That was the queue for the real fun to start.

With her free hand she reached out to grab the guys wrist where hand met forearm; applying pressure while twisting at the same time. Despite all the noise of the music still thumping from the speakers she could hear as well as feel the small bones break. In his drug induced state he knew something was wrong but couldn't feel the pain. Which was going to suck some serious ass for her.

"Todd, Mike get down here now!" Eden yelled loud enough for them to hear over the roar of the techno beat suddenly playing; making it seem ten times louder then moments ago.

Releasing the clients arm she dodged a punch thrown at her by the taller of the two. Using his own momentum against him she put one hand on his shoulder; the other on his belt. Propelling him forward and into the throng of dancers. It wasn't much but it was the best thing she could think of to do without causing him a serious amount of bodily harm.

Taking hold of Melanie yet again she headed for the emergency exit where she instructed the three men waiting outside to head to the back; car's in drive and ready to go. Anticipating the fact that surfer boy wasn't going to let her go without getting his two cents in Eden turned in time to see him cock his whole body back; ready to throw a punch with all his weight behind it. Or tackle her. The fact that she didn't known which bothered the shit out of her.

Lashing out she put all her weight behind a side kick; still attached to the young debutante. Making contact with his jaw she felt it shatter under her assault. Dropping like a rock to the floor she knew it wouldn't be long before he was back up and coming at her again. Gotta love cocaine. It did the body good during a brawl. Turning she saw his black haired friend making his way in their direction; a pissed off look on his bloody face; no doubt from his contact with the stone floor.

Not wanting to let the client go but with no other options left she almost sighed in relief when she saw Swagger making his way towards her once again. No doubt having heard the commotion on his own mike. Knowing she didn't have much time; and thankful that the drugs in the two men's systems slowed their reaction time considerably she all but threw the young woman into the marines arms.

"There's not much time before people start noticing and this turns into an all out brawl." Swagger warned. "We need to get the fuck out of here."

"These guys aren't going to let her out of here without a fight." Eden pointed to Melanie; who at this point was close to sober and terrified out of her skull. "I'll distract them long enough for you to get her safely out."

"Are you crazy?" Swagger argued.

He didn't give a damn if it was the clients life before anyone else's. There was no way on god's green mother fucking earth he was going to leave her to deal with a bunch of people that were no doubt drugged like the rest of the party goers he'd run into in this joint. Hyped up on something a persons body didn't realize it's limitations like when it was sober. Good for them; bad for whoever was on the receiving end.

"I stand a hell of a lot better chance then she does." Eden reminded. "Not to mention this is my call now take this as a direct order and get her the fuck out of here."

Deciding he would talk to her about this on their short flight to Philadelphia later that morning Swagger grabbed a hold of the young socialite and all but threw her over his shoulder as they ran out of the club. Not turning to look back for fear of what he'd see. Pushing people aside like he didn't give a damn it was hard to concentrate with every single man outside screaming in his ear for a status report while the beat from the speakers made his whole chest thump.

Air making his skin feel ice cold as they burst through the emergency doors the marine assessed the perimeter before making a mad dash for the Tahoe parked twenty feet away; door open and ready. Or at least he tried to until he realized the young woman had become nothing but a dead weight. Putting her in a fireman's carry he all but threw her in the back seat; following close behind before slamming the door shut.

"Where's my sister?" Micheal demanded.

"Where do you think?" Swagger answered.

Words you'd never find in any dictionary; ones that would make even the most hardened solider blush reverberated through the car at his announcement as well as over the mike's. Every person on that team knew she'd stay in there as a distraction as long as it took before fighting her way out. She was tough as nails but sometimes just like the coke heads she didn't know when to quit.

"I want you to head into the back vehicle." Micheal told the marine.

"Shouldn't I be sticking with the client?" Swagger was confused.

"We'll take care of her." Micheal waved him off. "Eden's best bet is to head to the very last one. And with Todd in there she's going to need you to referee."

"Right now I'm willing to side with your brother." Swagger confessed.

"Everyone is but you're not family so you won't be biased." Micheal informed. "Now go."

Cursing under his breath he climbed over the seat; going out the back hatch so as not to draw attention to the side of the middle SUV. Swiftly he closed the door behind his self before making a mad dash for the last car; parked about ten feet away. Seeing the back passenger door open and ready for him he was distracted upon hearing footsteps from behind.

Swiveling in the direction of the back door of the club; hand on the butt of his gun he saw a blur of black; hair flying behind her as Eden made a mad dash for the vehicle with the door wide open.

"Get in!" She grabbed a hold of his arm as she went; propelling them both into the back seat.

Tangle of arms and legs Eden was barely able to get her bearings before a round of bullets assaulted the vehicle. Pretty sure she hadn't pissed anyone off who had a gun; other then the men she was working with; the young SEAL was unhitched from Swagger and rolling down the bullet proof window to give answering fire before Todd was even yelling at the drivers to get the hell out of there.

Crawling into the back seat Swagger hit the button that lowered the specialized back window; grabbing the rifle hidden in a case under the pull away floor board. They'd briefed him on all the extra amenities the cars had before heading out. Taking the safety off of the Remington 17 he loaded some shell's in the chamber; setting the box down on the floor next to his knee. Aiming without hesitation he started on the left of the four men that seemed to have come out of nowhere; putting a perfectly round hole between his eyes. Dropping body slowly shrinking as they drove father and farther away. Thankfully the road where the club was located was a country one of sorts. Just on the outside of town; lights of the business distract getting brighter as they went.

Once she was sure they were out of harms way Eden rolled up the window before taking a minute to catch her breath. After the marine had left the club all hell had broken loose. Two men unwilling to give up because of the added advantage running through their systems it had taken more then she'd thought to take them out. Not to mention the little fact that one of them had had a knife buried in their pocket. Pulled it out when people had started to figure out what was going on.

Needless to say she never wanted to get into a fight in a crowded club where everyone was jacked up on something again. Cut currently on her side agreeing. Thankfully the black shirt and jacket she was wearing covered the injury and amount of blood she'd lost. Pain management one of her strong suits it was easy to hide the fact that it hurt like a bitch.

Rifle stored back where it'd been Swagger joined the young woman in the back seat. Other then some seriously messed up hair and breathing heavy she didn't look any worse for the wear. Looks he'd learned however; could be deceiving.

Knowing Micheal had wanted him to be the mediator between the two once things settled down he found his self wanting to do just the opposite; instead siding with the oldest Blackmore child when they both posed their next question.

"What the hell were you thinking?"


	9. Chapter 9

Just some notes I wanted to put in for all those who have been following the story.

I am undecided on whether or not to proceed. I'm thankful for all those who have read, reviewed, or both. Unfortunately I'm not getting the feedback I had hoped and I have to say that it's making my confidence wane as far as continuing is concerned.

I love writing these; giving myself as well as those who read them a chance to escape reality if only for a moment.

If there are those that wish for me to continue please give me your feedback on the matter. For anyone who already has thank you so much.

Thank you for the support I have received so far and hopefully many continued happy writings to all.


	10. Chapter 10

Before I let you enjoy this chapter there is a couple of things I'd like to say…

To those who responded to my note about being unsure on whether or not to continue thank you for the support. It has helped me quite a lot in the writing process.

Though I do have to say thank you for keeping me humble by reminding me that peoples lives are extremely busy so if they do get a chance to read that doesn't meant they have the time to review.

So any kind if support anyone has shown I want you to know that it's greatly appreciated.

And I realize that there are those out there waiting for the action to come back again but I believe in making the back story an important part of the situation.

I've been trying to make sure the time line is as accurate as possible so if there are some irregularities I do apologize.

Oh and I own nothing dealing the with movie shooter

Enjoy!

Chapter 9

**Ignoring them while she talked to Michael in the middle car to make sure their client was safe; that she hadn't died from the shock Eden took a minute before opening her mouth to answer.**

"**That it'd be a good way to spice up the evening?"**

"**Dammit Eden." Todd growled. "You could've gotten yourself seriously hurt or worse."**

"**Unless I'm wrong we almost all got hurt or worse a minute ago." She countered.**

"**That's not the point and you know it." Todd argued. "You were in there without back up. People high on god knows what. They could've killed you."**

**Irritable; tired, and a little sick of her brothers over zealous protective streak Eden was done being nice. "Look I know you're just looking out for me but danger is a way of life for us; always has been. I've had more guns pointed in my face then **_**you **_or I care to remember. The possibility of being killed is the nature of the beast."

"Nature of the beast my ass." Todd griped. "You shouldn't have been in there without back up and you know it."

"I can kick your ass plus Michael and Chris' five ways to Sunday." Eden defended. " A couple of guys hyped up on coke isn't a big deal."

Down to his last nerve with the stubborn as hell woman he turned back to facing the front window. Speaking in Romanian; hopefully loud enough for his sister to hear; Todd left it alone for her to translate to the marine. When he was this upset with her it was best to just stop talking and let someone else take care of it.

"What did he say?" Swagger cocked his head in confusion.

"That he's done dealing with my stubborn attitude and it's your turn to talk some sense into me." Eden informed.

"No problem." Swagger turned his body so he was facing her. "You're good at what you do; none of us is going to argue with that…."

"But?" Eden interrupted.

"Staying in there by yourself was reckless." Swagger decided pulling punches was out of the question. "Taking on a bunch of guys who know their limits is one thing; we've all done it before. Ones that are so jacked out of their minds that they can't feel when you shatter their wrist to pieces is a whole knew ball park."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that I have something different between my legs then you guys do?" Eden was in rare form right now.

Having arrived back at the house he kept his response to his self as four of them climbed out of the vehicles; the woman currently trying to talk her way out of an argument she knew she couldn't win taking her place next to the client. Swagger on the other side helping to support her as they made their way up the stairs.

According to Michael they'd given her a soda to counteract the nerves and adrenaline but once it had worn off she was numb. Not uttering more then two words the entire ride home. When someone wasn't use to having that kind of danger shoved in their face on a daily basis the body was unable to respond and compensate for the quick and extreme change.

Once they had the young blonde safely tucked inside her massive room changing for the night; windows checked to make sure they were secure Swagger wasted no time answering her as he stood opposite the SEAL and brown haired man he'd found out was a fellow marine.

"Don't try to pull that card." Swaggers voice was low but full of anger. "From what I can tell you have a bigger set of balls then most men I know. Bottom line is none of us would've done what you did without some sort of back up. It's one of the first things drilled into a persons head in special forces. No one; man or woman; get's left behind."

"Amen." Phillip muttered.

"You're suppose to be on my side." Eden glared at him.

"Usually I am." Phillip reminded. "I trust your judgment like no one else's E but he's right. It goes against everything we've been taught."

"As the person in charge of this assignment it's my responsibility to make sure everyone makes it out safe." Eden fired back. "Something else that was drilled into our heads. I guess I went against _**that **_too."

Sharing a look they knew she had them there. It was one of the many catch twenty two's of their business. Going into any place dubbed a "hot zone" by yourself was one of the biggest snafu's a person could make. On the same note they were told not to leave a single team mate behind to be taken by the enemy. Granted this hadn't been a war zone tonight but it was damn close.

Bottom line they were all at fault for what happened at the club. For not knowing there were men waiting to make their vehicles Swiss cheese. Most of all for letting everything get out of hand to the point where Eden had been in her particular situation. But that didn't mean they were going to let her off easy. This wasn't the first time she'd taken a big risk when it came to an assignment.

It was as if she was punishing herself for what had happened during her last mission with the SEAL's before retiring. Which as far as he and the rest of the FLJ team were concerned was a bunch of bullshit. The physical injuries she'd suffered from the botch job were more then enough penance for losing some of her men.

A goat fuck; as those in the special ops world liked to call them; was something that could happen to anyone. But because of who her father was; the reputation she had to live up to; the young beauty took it ten times worse. Since that horrible day a year ago she hadn't spoken to any one still left on the team or family members of those who'd been lost.

What she didn't know was that he along with her family had been fielding calls from those men since she'd stopped speaking to them about two months after coming to work for her fathers company. They all wanted to know why she was avoiding them. Why she was acting as if they all hated her. Reality was everyone and their families knew what they were getting into when they signed on the dotted line. When they took the oath to defend their country from all enemies foreign and domestic.

No one blamed the young woman for what had happened. Except for herself that is. He'd seen the same attitude in every one of her brothers a time or two. Even his self before he'd taken Charles Blackmore's offer to join their security firm.

Rock bottom was not a place someone wanted to be. Especially someone with as much on their conscious as she had. This getting herself into more and more dangerous situations was the beginning point towards that. None of them wanted to see her get that far. She had so much to live for; so much to offer the world and that one special man once she found him.

Seeing the way Swagger looked at her as she spoke to her brother a few feet away; no doubt wanting to find out about what had happened to the men who'd decided to start a gun battle out back of the club Phillip could tell he wanted that coveted spot.

Personally the other marine couldn't blame him. Eden may be a little damaged because of her line of work but she was still one hell of a woman. They'd been friends for a long time. He'd been there for her after her Navy career had fallen apart. And vice versa.

At one point in time he'd thought about trying to give it a shot; but then she'd met the scout sniper and it'd all been thrown out the window. More intrigued by the man then anything the young woman had been less then happy when they'd made her the unofficial welcome party to try to get him to join the team. But after coming back from meeting him there was something different about her. Of course there was little fact that she treated him more like a brother then potential lover.

Eager to know what had happened but not wanting to seem like he was prying Phillip kept his questions to his self. But he could see there was a different light in her eyes; that she seemed a little more eager to have him on board then when they'd sent her on her outing to Wyoming.

Clearing his throat to get the other man's attention the blush on his cheeks when he realized he'd been caught was enough to confirm the blonde haired man's suspicions. As with every red blooded male that met her he was fascinated by Eden. By the way she moved and carried herself. Of how she dealt with being a gorgeous female in what was still largely an all male world. Somehow that really pissed him off.

"We didn't get the chance to really meet earlier. "He held out his hand. "Phillip McKay."

"Bob Lee Swagger." He shook the offered limb; noting the other man put a little bit more pressure behind the shake then necessary.

"How long did you serve the corp?" Phillip questioned.

"Eleven years." Swagger answered.

Why the man was trying to make small talk when in all reality he was really sizing up what he considered the competition was beyond the scout sniper. They'd met for a couple of moments before the briefing for this nights cluster fuck had started. Maybe because he was the one being watched like a hawk he noticed it more then anyone but if felt like the man had been staring daggers into him all night. At first he thought it was because he was the new guy and even though he had the blessing of the founding family behind him they still wanted to see for themselves if he had what it took.

That was until Eden stepped in the room; having been stopped by her father to look over a file. Moment the blonde haired man laid his green eyes on her it had all fallen in place for Swagger. Whether he knew it or not the man was half in love with the Romanian beauty. Personally the other marine couldn't blame him. What was not to fall for about her.

Able to command a room with one word from her mouth; ready a team in no time flat while still keeping things light she was a site to behold. Hell since they'd buried the hatchet about the incident at his house he'd been fighting growing and unexpected feelings.

All of which had made his heart jump into this throat when she'd ordered him to leave her inside the club while he got Melanie out to the waiting car. Seen her flying out the back door; bullets pinging overhead. Training and adrenaline had been the only two things keeping him going past the fear.

Had seen the same emotions in McKay's eyes as they toppled into the car; a tangle of arms and limbs as they tried to right themselves. He'd been scared out of his ever living mind that she'd been shot. Part of the reason Swagger knew why he felt the need to agree with her brother. It was the motivation behind him giving her a piece of his mind.

Now as he answered the other mans questions out of politeness if nothing else the scout sniper hazard a glance at the woman currently occupying his thoughts.

Hair having fallen haphazardly from her braid during all the excitement she was standing tall and confident as always. Hands on her hips; pushing her coat back to reveal the gun that had gotten quiet a bit of action in the last hour. Listening as her brother relayed some information no doubt sent from her father back at headquarters. They'd unfortunately had to call the patriarch to tell him what had happened. He along with Mrs. Blackmore were the only ones available to do any kind of research.

Studying her closer he could see the fatigue in her blue orbs. The dark circles a little more pronounced then they'd been before. Dirt had some how made it's way onto her cheek; smeared across the top. Mouth set in a grim line she looked none too happy about what she was being told. No bruises to be found on her flawless skin he wasn't surprised. She was good at what she did; which meant being able to come out of a fight nearly unscathed.

Turning his gaze quickly away when she started to head in their direction Swagger felt his cheeks turn red and prayed it wasn't showing. The last thing he needed was to get caught staring at the woman who was essentially his boss. Not to mention he could tell she was in a rare mood. Willing to rip into anyone for any little thing.

"What'd you find out?" Phillip questioned.

Coming to a stop in front of them Eden resisted the urge to rub her temples; headache having formed a while ago. This kind of thing had been happening as of late. Once the adrenaline left her system her head would pound like nobodies business. The doctor had told her it was because her body had to get use to all the action again. Though she'd only been out of the game for less than six months before joining her parents firm it was enough for her body to get thrown completely out of whack. Especially when it had gotten so use to it for the past thirteen years.

Of course it could have something to do with the fact that she was extremely pissed off at herself for ignoring protocol tonight. Going in alone or being left by ones self in a hostile environment was a huge slap in the face to all those who walked in the same shoes she did. As with the legendary musketeers it was all for one and one for all in the special ops world. The same cold be said for the private security sector; being made up of ex spec war people as it was.

But seeing the look of fear on that young girls face when she realized what was happening; that she was in way over her head Eden had to put her safety first. No one had died under her watch since she'd joined her fathers company over a year ago and she'd be damned if it was going to happen tonight.

Putting her own personal safety aside she commanded her team to the get young socialite to the protection of the waiting vehicles; knowing even that there was a chance she wouldn't make it out unscathed if alive. Among the other things they'd been right about her brothers as well as herself knew that people who were cocked out of their minds didn't go down without one hell of a fight.

Side throbbing like a bitch; cut thankfully not bleeding anymore the young woman pushed back the thought of how she was going to fix herself up without anyone knowing to focus on the task at hand.

"Thankfully it has nothing to do with our other assignment." Eden assured him; knowing it had to be on his mind at some point.

"Melanie then?" Phillip spoke up.

Having been appraised of their situation with Johnson incase he was needed to help out Eden tried her best not to let irritation ring in her voice. She'd seen the blonde haired man staring daggers at Swagger when he didn't think anyone was looking. Knowing how he felt about her she appreciated his concern of wanting to make sure the new guy wasn't a threat to her emotional well being but the whole over protective thing didn't fly with her. Something he already knew.

"That's what were thinking." Eden answered. "Todd sent Michael, Chris, and Jacob to clean up. Get rid of the bodies and bullets. Make sure no one saw or heard anything."

"I doubt it." Swagger reminded. "It was so loud in that club I'm surprised I could hear myself think. Plus those weapons were silenced."

"Better safe then sorry. Todd also thinks that if we can find one of them alive we can figure out who hired them. It'll save us a lot of leg work. But I doubt he'll get that lucky." Eden explained.

"What makes you say that?" Phillip questioned.

Grinning despite the urge to drop to the floor from exhaustion Eden placed a hand on the gunnery sergeants shoulder; knowing she was going to inflate his ego hardcore but uncaring at the moment.

"Because they don't call this man the best for nothing." Eden turned her attention in his direction; sensing his urge to squirm. "That was some nice shooting cowboy."


	11. Chapter 11

Drum roll please….it seems my muse had decided to stay and give me some inspiration when it comes to getting the back story more involved.

Again a huge thank you for the support from all those who have read, reviewed etc…

Enough of me talking onto the fun!

I own nothing dealing with the movie shooter, blah, blah, blah…

Enjoy!

Chapter Ten

**Feeling the other mans eyes on him; the hatred that practically radiated from the seemingly calm depths Swagger tried his damndest not to shift from one foot to the other. While praise for his skills was something he was accustomed to with all the tournaments he'd won growing up it felt different coming from the woman with her hand still on his shoulder. Made a kind of warmth flow all the way down to his toes. **

**However he had the strange feeling it made his fellow marine have stabbity urges that he did not want to be on the receiving end of. Never one to give a damn what other people thought of him he also didn't want to be responsible for any break down in the morale. Which would surely happen if he and the young woman were anything more then friendly in front of the blonde haired man.**

"**Military spent a lot of time and money training me." Swagger shrugged. "Guess it wasn't a waste after all."**

**Chuckling at his humility; or the fact that the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife; Eden knew the man didn't like to play up the fact that he was one of the best sharpshooters the military had ever seen. Everyone in her family had medals for winning shooting tournaments but nothing compared to what the marine had gathered during his life. **

**Racking her brain to find a reason to send Phillip away without seeming rude Eden thanked whatever god had been watching over them tonight when Todd came up the stairs; cell phone plastered to his ear.**

"**Phillip I need you to come down and take over for Brock so he can head to the club to help the others." Her brother informed. "Unless Eden wants you to stay here."**

"**No I think that's a good idea." She agreed. "Swagger and I were with Melanie when the chaos started. It's logical she'd want us close by."**

**Nodding his agreements as he started speaking into the phone once again neither one of them missed the grimace that marred Phillip's movie star handsome face before he followed the other man downstairs. Breathing a sigh of relief that he didn't try to start something Eden took a moment to lean against the wall. Allowing herself to regroup and file all the events of the night into her brain. **

**Hairs on the back of her neck standing up she opened her eyes to see Swagger staring at her; resting against the heavy railing with his strong arms crossed over his chest. Something about the man made her able to let her guard down without worrying whether or not she'd get ambushed for doing so. **

**To want to tell him everything without hesitation. Knowing he wouldn't judge her for being human. No one else she worked with; no one in her family would do that either. But with him there was just something different that she couldn't explain; couldn't put a finger on. Or maybe she didn't want to because the answer would scare the living shit out of her. **

**Right now it was the concern pooling in his blue green depths. The same concern she'd seen when they'd been arguing at the club. It was more then that of one collogue for another but rather what a man feels for a woman he cares about. Which made no sense seems how they'd known each other less than twenty four hours; meeting as his home not counting. **

**It was honestly enough to make her want to burst into tears. The last week had been nothing but work overload and she'd had very little sleep. Of course the fact that she wasn't sleeping well when she got some probably had something to do with it. Trying to keep up appearances while setting up to take Johnson and his men had been no easy task for any of them. Fortunately for her brothers there were no kids to worry about; yet.**

**Combine lack of sleep; the nightmares she'd been plagued with as of late; work out the ass to do and incident that had happened at the club made her ready to break down into a crying, blubbering idiot. **

"**Something tells me I made an enemy instead of a friend tonight." Swagger finally spoke.**

"**Are we talking about Melanie or Phillip?" Eden grinned despite her fatigue.**

"**Both." Swagger offered. "More him then her though considering we work together."**

"**I wouldn't worry about it." Eden waved him off. "He'd just protective like the rest of the men in my family. After a while you won't even notice the way he acts."**

"**It's more then being protective." Swagger gently chided. "He cares about you; a lot."**

"**I know." Eden admitted. "At one point I thought I could return the feelings.."**

"**But not now?" Swagger was curious.**

"**No." Eden agreed. "And I told him as much; did my best not to lead him on. In the end I guess it wasn't enough."**

**Seeing the sorrow in her eyes for something that was out of her control Swagger didn't stop his self from moving. Within a foot of her he reached out; gently trying to remove the dirt that had smeared on her tan skin. Watching as she closed her eyes briefly at the contact before focusing them on him he felt every instinct in him go into hyper drive. **

"**You can't change how people feel; it is what it is." Swagger whispered. "Though I can't say I blame him."**

"**Blame him for being over protective?" Eden was finding it hard to think with his calloused hand against her smooth skin.**

"**For caring about you." Swagger informed. "It's kind of hard not to."**

"**You wouldn't be saying this to suck up for the fact that you took my brothers side earlier?" Eden wondered.**

"**Maybe." Swagger shrugged. "But more because it's true. You're an amazing woman Eden and you don't even know it."**

"**Swagger I…" She murmured.**

**Knowing what was coming next Eden didn't try to stop him. Didn't offer any protest or move her head as his leaned down to capture her lips; hand on his broad chest the only kind of opposition she'd tried to offer. **

**Wanting to make it nothing more then a light brush of skin on skin like back in his living room once they connected it was all out the window. Forgetting where they were; what they were suppose to be doing he inclined his head to deepen the kiss. Wrapping the hand currently on her cheek around the back of her neck.**

**Allowing him to take over she shivered as she felt his tongue dart into her mouth; warring with her own. Without a thought she wrapped her arms around his neck; pulling him closer. For the first time in a long time she felt normal. Like a woman who went shopping with her friends; biggest worry being to go pick up the kids on time. Not dodging bullets and kicking crack head ass. **

**Reigning in the fire he could feel creeping into his veins he drew back from her lips; not wanting to leave the softness they created against his own rough ones. She brought out a passion in him that he'd thought had been lost three years ago. But he didn't want to push things and honestly was expecting her to punch him in the face.**

**Instead she was looking at him with her head cocked; eyes searching his own for a moment. As if she wasn't sure what to do with him or about what had just happened. With every fiber of his being he prayed he hadn't just ruined the friendship they'd managed to forge. **

**Lips swollen from his brief assault it was hard to really continue to give a damn about that at the moment.**

"**I'm sorry; I shouldn't have…." Swagger started.**

"**Honestly it's okay." Eden gave a small smile. "At least I think it is….I don't have the urge to punch you so I guess were good."**

**Breathing out a sigh of relief along with a chuckle Swagger opened his mouth to say more but instantly shut it when the door next to Eden's head cracked open. Not wanting to give anyone the impression that she was being anything but professional he stepped back; arms folded across his chest once again. **

**Out of the small space came Melanie's head; though it was hard to tell it was her. Gobs of make up completely gone; hair drying from the shower it was still full but not poofed with so much hairspray it couldn't move. **

"**Um..Ms. Blackmore could I talk to you for a minute?" **

**Voice having come out so tiny Eden had to strain to hear it she was surprised at the young woman's request. Unsure about what she would have to say the SEAL pushed herself up from where she'd been leaning against the wall during her make out session with Swagger. Hoping her cheeks weren't turning red at the memories she tried her hardest to not look away when their eyes locked.**

"**Let my brother know I'm in with the client if he needs me." **

"**Will do." He gave a nod of the head.**

**Hand on the door knob she hesitated after seeing that Melanie had moved back into her room. Against her better judgment she turned back to the man who was watching her in curiosity; concern still radiating from his gaze. Stepping towards him she placed a hand on either side of his face; leaning in to place a gentle kiss on his lips. **

**Before he could deepen the embrace she pulled away; wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. Unable to help his self he felt the wave of protectiveness wash over him as he returned the gesture, arms wrapped around her tiny waist. This woman that was so fragile feeling yet the strongest person he knew. A woman he'd almost lost tonight. **

"**Thank you; for everything." She whispered. **

**With that she was gone from his arms before he wanted her to be; sliding in the open door of the clients room. Small smile on her face the last thing he saw. Leaning his heavy frame against the sturdy railing he tried to stop his legs from shaking. Adrenaline having left his body a while ago it'd been hard for him to keep focused while his body adjusted. **

**Then he had to go and make a move on Eden. Not that he regretted what had just happened between them because he didn't; never would. But the feelings he was having for her were so strong he wasn't sure how to handle them. It wasn't that he'd been a monk his entire life. He knew what it was like to be in love. To care about someone so much you'd do anything to protect them.**

**But it had never been this fast; this all consuming. He'd known the woman all of going on almost forty eight hours and he couldn't get enough. As sure as he'd known it when they'd been together in his apartment earlier in the day that once he crossed the line there was no going back.**

**Problem was he had the strange feeling Eden didn't feel the same way. There'd been no mistaking the passion he'd felt in her kiss. Or the fact that she hadn't run away from their embrace. But as sure as he'd seen the thankfulness in her depths he saw hesitation as well. Like she was unwilling to get herself hurt again.**

**Focusing back on the task at hand he took his post next to the door so he'd have a full view of the house below. Making a resolve to his self as well as the young SEAL that he'd take things slow but there was also no way he was going to be giving up on her. On them and what he knew was between them. **

**It was a spark that would never go away and he'd be damned if he'd let her run away with her tale between her legs. Knowing they might be the second chance at love that the other was looking for. **


	12. Chapter 12

Finally after having such a good run of luck with my muse then having it disappear again it has returned once more to give me several chapters. 

Again thank you for all those who have read, reviewed or both.

Enough of me blabbering…on with the fun!

Oh…I own nothing dealing with Shooter, blah, blah. You know the drill J

**Chapter Eleven**

Closing the door tightly behind her she tried to get the feel of Swaggers mouth on hers out of her mind as she turned to address the client. Pushing aside the feelings jumbled inside her like a giant ball pit was another thing all together. How she'd let herself get to this position so quickly was a mystery. One she didn't have the energy to figure out right now. Nor was she sure she wanted to.

"Everything okay Ms. Davis?"

The most covered she'd seen the young woman all night in black sweatpants and a matching hoodie she looked nothing like the diva they'd escorted to the club only a few short hours ago. With her face scrubbed free of the heavy make-up, hair in simple braid she could've passed for all of fifteen years old.

"Yes; I just wanted to say thank you…for saving me earlier tonight." Then as if a thought dawned on her her eyes became saucers in her head. "Is it okay for you to be in here? Is there someone watching the outside?"

Quickly closing the distance between them Eden gently lowered the girl to a sitting position on her pink covered bed; hand on her back as she coached her to take deep breaths to prevent her from hyperventilating.

"You're welcome." She spoke once the girl was calmed down. "And yes; it's okay. Swagger is right behind the door should we need him for anything and my brothers are down stairs with another member of the team. You're safely tucked in for the night."

"I never wanted any of this." Melanie whispered.

Ragged brown teddie bear clutched in her arms; one ear with less fur then the other. No doubt from when she'd dragged it across the floor like so many kids did when they were younger she looked sacred out of her mind and completely in over her head. As much as she had wanted the socialite to get a dose of reality this wasn't exactly what the SEAL had had in mind.

Glancing around the room she saw thropies and ribbions covering several shelves along with a bookcase. Pictures in various colored frames scattered across the walls. Showing a younger Melaine; seeming much happier before she'd decided to grow up so fast. Noticing a couple of text books on the desk she walked over; hefting one of the bigger ones into her hands. Across the top in bold letters was the name; it was a medical book.

Feeling like she'd judged this woman too soon Eden set the item down; grabbing the desk chair and rolling it until she was positioned directly in front of the client. Settling her weary frame in the uncomfortable furniture she waited for the blonde girl to meet her gaze before speaking.

"What happened Melaine?" At the curious stare she got the solider elaborated. "This room looks like it belongs to a young woman who had a good childhood; a happy one full of fun and friends. When did that all change? When did you give up on becoming a doctor."

"How did you..?" She trailed off.

"I saw the medical book on your desk." Eden informed. "Something tells me the ditzy thing is all an act.

Plucking at some imaginary lint on her companion the young Romanian thought she wasn't going to answer her and was disappointed. In all reality she couldn't blame the young woman. She'd been so pissed off at having to start the protection detail tonight; about how the client seemed to be preceived in her file that she hadn't stopped to think that maybe it was all a mirage. Something made to hide the true person she was inside.

God knows she'd been accused of doing that a time or two. For both work and her personal life. Not surprising most men ran screaming in the other direction when they found what she did for a living. Both when she'd been in the military and after. It tended to unnerve them when the woman they were interested in had a bigger set of kahuana's then they did.

Pressure; especially from a person's peers; or even worse their families social circle; could be a hard thing to ignore. Most times it was the reason behind a lot of stupid things that people did. Human nature made us want to blend; to not stand out for fear of being targeted. Life in the homospian world was much like that of the animal kingdom. Camoflauge was the best way to survive.

Bad part was in the process of trying to conceal in oder to live we lost a part of ourselves.

"All I ever wanted was to become a pediatrician." Melaine whispered. "When my mom was alive she supported it. I always got good grades in high school; even graduated top of my class. Played sports; was popular but not overly so. That wasn't good enough for my father though."

"You've got to be kidding me." Eden grumbled.

"You have to understand the circles my family runs with." Melaine offered. "My fathers been a big part of the business world since before I was born. Already had connections and social status established before I came along. My mother was the perfect housewife; her friends the same way. Their daughters just like the way I acted earlier; which I should apologize for by the way."

"No need." Eden held up a hand to stop her. "I understand what it's like to have to hide behind a façade."

"It never use to be like this." Melanie explained. "My parents were perfectly happy with me going to college; payed for all my expenses. I had finished up all my pre-requirements and was ready to start med school when my mom passed away. Then it was like my dad completely changed. Wanted me to move back to DC; to know where I was at all times. I don't know if it was because I was all he had left or the fact that he didn't have my mom to control anymore."

Hearing the bitterness in her voice Eden felt her heart bleed for this bright young girl. Living in a glass palace wasn't exactly all it was cracked up to be; people just thought it was. Growing up with parents that loved her unconditionally no matter what she'd never had to know what it was like for someone to not love her; to not be there for her.

"Did he ever hit you Melaine?" The question was out of her mouth before she realized it but knew it had to be asked.

"No; never." She shook her head vigorously. "It was more of an over protective thing then actually being controlling. He's the type of person that's use to getting his way no matter what. At first I didn't say anything; just kept my mouth shut. I was so mad that he wouldn't let me attend med school that I decided it was time to give him a legitamet reason to be paranoid."

"That's when the other Melaine started to appear." Eden put it all together.

"The picture was the lowest I've ever gone." She sighed. "I never wanted that to happen. I slept with someone I thought I could trust; someone I thought cared about me. Turns out I was wrong. Problem was that no one would believe me if I told them that so I just let it play out. I never thought someone would take it far as they have."

"It can all change; but you have to want it to." Eden reminded

"I'm not proud of who I've become." She confessed. "But I've been doing this for over a year now I'm not sure I know how to be the real me again."

Reaching over she grabbed the photo of her and what the young SEAL assumed were some friends; ones that had liked her for her if the lack of make-up and puffed up hair was any indication. Along with that she placed the book she'd been looking at moments ago having gotten up to get it on the comforter next to the blonde.

"She's always been inside you. Right here." Eden placed a hand over her own heart. "Locked away; waiting for when you're ready to let her out once again. Being true to yourself is the best weapon you have in the crazy fight we call life. It'll keep you sane more then you realize."

"I'm scared I won't have the strength." Melaine whispered.

" I know what that can be like." Eden sat down next to her once again. "But in the end I realized I just needed to believe in myself."

"I saw the way you were at the club tonight." Melaine shook her head. "I don't think you've ever been scared of anything."

"That was due to years of training." Eden reminded. "But when I first went off to boot camp I was terrified I'd mess up. Disgrace my parents in some way; my father especially."

"Your dad was in the military?" Mealine cocked her head in interest.

"My whole family actually." Eden informed. "My brother Todd was an Army Ranger, Chris was Delta Force, and Micheal was a Marine Scount Sniper just like Swagger. My dad was career Navy as well as Marines."

"What about your mom?" Melanie questioned.

Knowing she should head back out to stand her post with Swagger the young woman was taken by surprise at the girls curiosity. The true Melanie was starting to shine through and the solider had to admit she liked this one a whole lot better. Feeling the teenager in her come alive Eden crossed her legs on the bed spread as she got ready to answer the questions that were no doubt going to be flying.

"She was part of the Romanian and Russian secret police before coming to America to get her medical degree." She explained. "It's actually how her and my dad met."

"So you're like half Romanian then?" Melaine concluded.

"Yes ma'am." Eden held out her hand. "Eden Ivanka Yamorich Blackmore at your service."

Laughing she shook the offered limb; a genuine smile gracing her lips. "Melanie Elaine Davis. Not quite such a mouth full."

"When I was in the military and my rank was in front of it it was ten times worse." Eden offered.

"Navy right?"

"How'd you know?" Eden was surprised.

"I over heard some of the guys talking about how SEAL's can be really stubborn sometimes." Melaine shrugged her shoulders. "Plus I remembered something bout that being part of the Navy."

"How did you keep the ditzy act up all this time when you're that perceptive?" Eden had to know.

"Because it was what everyone expected of me." Melanie answered.

Pulling her compact wallet out of her back pocket Eden grabbed a pen off the bedside table; scribbling something on the back of one of her cards. Done she handed it to the young girl with a small smile.

"Well it's time that changed." She decided. "Take tonight as a sign that it's time to get your life back. Re-apply for college; become the person we both know you are under all that make-up and skimpy clothes."

"What if I can't?" Melaine whispered.

"That's what this is for." Eden gestured to the card. "If at anytime it get's to be too much. If you think you can't do it without some encouragement just call or email me. I know we didn't start out on the best of terms but I want to try to help you."

"After I was so mean to you earlier?" Melaine looked ready to cry.

"Something told me that under all that attitude was a young woman who just wanted some attention. Who wanted to be liked for her; not the façade she hid behind." Eden informed.

"So does this mean I get another shot at being your friend rather then your enemy?" Melaine sounded hopeful.

"Everyone deserves a second chance." Eden assured. "It's one of my dads favorite sayings."

"In that case I'll make sure I don't take it for granted." Melaine stood. "Thank you again; for everything. It's been a while since anyone belived in me. I've kinda forgotten what it feels like."

Tears pushing at the back of her eyes at the young girls words. At the look of hope and pure happiness in her gaze Eden knew she was in some serious need of sleep. Saying to hell with it she wrapped the girl in a hug; making sure she knew there was someone out there that gave a damn about what she did with her life. About making sure she had a chance at achieving her dreams. From the sounds of it her father wasn't doing a very good job.

"You're welcome." She answered. "And remember that as long as you believe in yourself it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks."

Opening her mouth to say something more she stopped when the door opened; their attention drawn to the image of Swagger standing there. Hand on the handle; other one on the door jam he had a look of concern marring his handsome features.

"Everything okay in here?" He questioned. "I haven't heard anything in a while. Wanted to make sure you hadn't tried to kill each other."

"No; just having a little heart to heart." Eden chuckled.

"Well I hate to interupt but Todd's ready for us to head back to headquartes." Swagger stated.

Silently conveying the reason they were headed back to the office the young woman gave a slight nod of her head; trying hard to not show how much that kiss was still effecting her as she answered. "Okay; I''ll be out in a minute."

"You're leaving?" Melanie looked alarmed.

"Swagger and I have to head to Philedelphia for a couple of days." Eden explained.

"But what about the guys from the club? Or the one that attacked me because of that picture?" Melaine rapid fired. "They could come back."

"There's no need to worry." Eden assured. "We have two men posted at the front door; another will be right outside your bedroom. People I'd trust with my life. Plus the guys at the club were just a couple of punks jacked up on drugs. As for the picture we're still trying to get that figured out but it's nothing. You're perfectly safe."

Walking the woman to her door Melaine leaned against the open object; unsure on how to say her next piece without offending the only person who'd given her a second chance. Before tonight she never would've thought there were people out there who dealt with this kind of thing on a regualr basis. Never realized or given a second thought to how much those who had been in Eden's shoes or the men on her team sacrificed to protect their country.

"You're use to this aren't you?" Melaine observed.

"Which part?" Eden smiled slightly.

"All of it." Melaine informed. "The danger. Having to kill someone if they threaten your life or the people you've sworn to protect. Helping people when they have no where else to turn."

Watching Eden as she spoke to the young charge; sad experssion on her face at the question just posed to her Swagger felt his heart ache for the truth of the matter was there was no escaping the weight that was placed on their shoulders; on their hearts at what they were forced to do sometimes.

When a person was on the front lines there was no time to ponder that certain aspect of it all. No time to realize just how much of a toll their actions took on one's physci. In all actuality analyzing that particular scenario would probably make a person lose what little sanity they were able to sustain.

"Unfourtanetly." Eden answered. At the look of confusion on the young woman's face she placed a hand on her shoulder; a sad smile gracing her tired face. "In this job and the one I had before there were too many people that needed saving. That still do. Sometimes I can't help them all."

"It's bothers you when that happens doesn't it?" Melaine whispered.

"More then I should probably let it." Eden confessed.

Feeling like he needed to save his partner before she burst into tears; seeing the defeated set of her shoulders Swagger stepped forward. Hand at the small of her back he threw protocol out the window by leaning down to place a kiss on her cheek. Grateful look she gave more then enough for him to make up for any wrath he might get once she had some sleep and was in the right state of mind.

"That's when you start to remember all those you _**were**_ able to help." He spoke to Melaine. "Remember all the mothers and fathers who would thank you for bringing their son or daughter home safe. Some random stranger stopping you when you're in uniform to thank you for your service."

"Well I know it's a little late; but thank you for everything you've done." Melaine smiled. "Both tonight and before we met."

Opening her mouth to say there was no thanks necessary Eden felt her phone vibrate against her hip. Taking it out of the holder she noticed it was her father. He and her mother were getting the plane prepped and ready for them to take off once they were done here. Excusing herself; telling Melaine to keep in touch and for Swagger to do one last sweep before meeting her downstairs she headed down the hall.

"I'm surprised you guys are getting along so well." Swagger admitted aloud.

"We came to an understanding." Melaine assured.

"Something told me you weren't the no brains socialite you played at being." Swagger confessed.

"What gave it away?" Melaine chuckled.

"The fact that despite the amount of alchol you bought you never ended up completely plastered." Swagger informed.

"Maybe I just hold my liquor very well." Melaine countered.

"That could be true; but not in this case." Swagger shook his head. "I've seen men I use to serve with drink that much and be completely hammered halfway in."

"Good thing I've decided to give up the whole act if people are starting to see through it." Melaine informed.

"Almost getting killed can make you put things into perspective." Swagger agreed.

"That and Eden made me realize that being true to myself was better then hiding behind a mask." Melanie confessed.

"She's good at making other people realize what's best for them." Swagger shook his head. "Not so much for herself though."

"You care about her; don't you?" Melanie leaned against the door frame.

"She's my partner; of course I do." Swagger cursed silently to his self. If she was able to tell he was so screwed with the Blackmore clan.

"I'm talking about deeper then that and you know it." Melanie rasied a brow.

Not believing he was having this conversation with a woman who they'd all thought was just a spoiled brat a few hours ago Swagger found no way out of it. She was definetly more perceptive of people and the way they acted then she'd let on to anyone; which was a surprise in and of itself. About to answer he was saved by foot falls coming up the stairs. Turning he was greeted with the gruff looking face of Jacob; the other Army Ranger in the group.

Only twenty six he was the youngest member of the security force but extremely adapt at doing his job. Having been in one of the extra vechicles not to mention blending quietly into the background he'd been able to avoid the young woman's earlier theatrics. Then again it seemed she'd turned over a new leaf so maybe he'd be spared completely.

"Eden's waiting for you downstairs." The brown haired man informed. "I'm your replacement."

Noticing Melaine had become shy at the new addition to the conversation he found it quite amusing. A definite change from earlier. But given the young soliders piercing green eyes, chiseled features and killer smile once you actually got him to it wasn't a shock to see her actually acting like the twenty two year old woman she was then a socialite who acted like they knew it all.

"Thanks." Swagger nodded his head. "Have you gotten a chance to meet Melaine yet?"

"Only from afar." Jacob stepped forward; extending his hand in greeting. "I have to say I prefer this look to the other one Ms. Davis."

Wincing as he left them be; waiting for the wrath that was possibly to follow after the mans harsh truth Swagger was surprised to hear her let out a genuine laugh before answering.

"Me too Mr…" Melanie trailed off.

"Burke." He supplied. "But you can call me Jacob Miss."

"Then I insist you call me Melaine." She countered.

"Melaine it is then." He agreed. "Do you need anything before turning in for the night?"

"Actually I was wondering if it'd be okay to sit out here with you for a while?" She questioned. "It's kind of lonely in my room and I'm too wired to sleep."

Leaving him to make the decision Swagger headed to the bottom floor; ready to get on with the rest of their very long day. Noticing Eden was nowhere to be found he guessed that she was out in the car, Hopefully resting because he knew she wouldn't on the short flight from D.C. to Phildelphia. She was pissed about what had happened tonight. More with herself then anything else.

Allowing Todd to finish his breif discussion with Phillip; who would be staying to watch guard along with Micheal for the first shift Swagger hoped the other Marine wouldn't give him any trouble. He cared about the only Blackmore daughter and would be damed if he'd let someone try to scare him away because he was carrying a torch.

If so this was a fight he wasn't planning on losing.


	13. Chapter 13

And it's a miracle….another chapter has come to life!

Sorry had a moment there because I'm actually making some progress.

Again a thank you to all those who have stuck it out waiting for me to post some more and to those who have just now sought out my story.

Enjoy!

Same disclaimer; I own nothing dealing with Shooter, yada, yada, yada….J

**Chapter Twelve**

It was times like this when Swagger just stood back in awe and took a moment to take in the sight before him. When he wondered how'd he'd been lucky enough to be given the opportunity he was currently taking advantage of. And all the cool toys that went with it.

At present he was standing on the Tarmac in the surprisingly chilly September air; gaping at the modified Gulf stream five that Todd and Chris were completing a pre-flight check list on.

Not one for flying; a reson why he'd never joined the Air Force; he'd gotten use to it over the years out of necessity more then anything. But he was always stuck on a cargo plane with several other marines or a ton of equipment that was being shipped to one location or another. Never in something that was like a mini house with wings.

One hundred feet longer and fifty feet wider then an actual Gulf stream it still held true to the body style of the luxury plane. DOT number painted in black as was per the FAA regulations for all commercial and private jets. White on the top it faded to silver on the bottom; looking like most of the homes in the sky that the rich and famous loved to flaunt.

Heading back into the hangar he took a mintue to rest against the open door as he watched Eden talk to her dad; brow furrowed as she was deep in thought. It was amazing how he could be content to just stand there and watch as she worked; brain analyzing every aspect of information that she was being given.

What concerned him more however was the fatigue that was starting to take over. The circles under her pretty eyes and the way she struggled to stay up right. Something had been going on before he got here; something that was causing her to lose sleep at night. And it was bigger; more personal then the whole Johnson fiasco. He just wished he knew what it was. Knew how to help her.

Strong arming a woman like the young SEAL into getting some much needed rest was not even in this realm of possibility. She would push herself to the limits and beyond which was not a good thing. It would cause her to collapse or do something stupid that could get herself or someone else hurt.

Deciding to make his prescence known he pushed off the metal door; heading over to the table where the patriarch and his boss had papers spread out; all information on the men who'd shot at them at the club. It had taken them a couple of hours; which unfortunately put them behind schedule.

"What's the verdict?" He questioned.

Forgetting that he was even there because she'd been so involved in deciphering the information they'd gathered Eden had to admit that she was glad to see him. The kiss they had shared back at Melaine's house was still at the forefront of her mind; making it hard not to blush when he gave her one of his rare yet killer smiles.

Part of her was immensely glad he was going to be with her on their trip to Philedlephia rather then one of her brothers or Phillip. While she knew he had the urge to go all alpha male on her he had a better time of reiging it in then her male family members did. Being there for her without giving into the need to hog tie her to the bed so she would get some much needed sleep.

Images coming to her mind that were defenetly not PG rated she mentally shook herself before handing him some of the papers; bodies brushing together as she moved. It wasn't until then that she realized how close they were standing together. Not needing to give her dad the wrong idea she reached to grab another file; effectively putting some space between them.

"All four men that shot at us plus the one in the club were there for Melaine." Eden informed. "The man in the club is named Adam Rogan. Come to find out he's the one that's been stalking Melanie. After all hell broke loose he ran but we were able to give a description of what he as wearing to the local authorities and explained the situation."

"Is that who finally caught up with him?" Swagger questioned?

"Yeah; the guy was stupid enough to go to the police station to tell them someone at the club had harassed him." Charles explained. "Gave a pretty accurate description of you as a matter of fact."

Chuckling the marine set down the papers he'd been given. "What about the guys who were shooting at us?"

"Hired by Rogan." Eden informed. "Some where along the way the signals got crossed because they weren't suppose to attack us until afterwards."

"So I take it there were actually some left unhurt in our little shooting spree?" Swagger assumed.

Hearing the hope in his voice she hated to burst his bubble. To tell him that the military had trained him a little too well. Every single one of the shots he made had been kill shots. While they both knew it was survival of the fitest when it came to things like that it was still never easy to take a life. Especially if that person was only taking orders; or more then likely in this case doing it for the money.

Placing a hand on his shoulder she gave it a squeeze before shaking her head in response. "Unfourtanetly no. We found all this out from Rogan once he realized the whole thing had blown up in his face."

Feeling the familiar twing of regret he got every time that kind of news was given to him Swagger settled for a different topic; pushing those thoughts aside as he did so many other times.

"Has anyone called Melaine yet?"

"Just got off the phone with her." Charlie informed. "Though it seems we might have a hard time getting Jacob to leave."

"Really?" Eden raised a brow. "Why's that?"

"It seems he and your young charge have hit it off." Charlie explained. "They were sitting in her kitchen "pigging out" as she put it; when I called."

"Now comes the part where he says he's going to have a serious talk with Jacob at the office tomorrow." Swagger grinned.

"You're too observant for your own good boy." Charlie waved a finger at him. "And no; I'm not. The threat is gone and the contract fulfilled. If they wish to continue spending time together it's none of my business."

"Are you feeling okay dad?" Eden put her hand on his forehead. "Normally you wouldn't be so calm about this."

"I'm calm about it because we have bigger things to worry about; not to mention I'm a little on the tired side. My body can't go without sleep like it use to." Charlie glared at his daughter. "By the way when did you become such a smart ass?"

"About ten minutes ago when I realized it's been almost two days and I've only had three hours of sleep." Eden grinned.

"In that case I suggest you go hurry Chris and Todd up so you can get some while in transit." Charlie gently pushed his daughter towards the hangar door.

"Alright, alright." Eden grimaced. "But if they give me attitude I'm telling them it was your idea."

Once she was out of earshot the partirach of the family turned to the marine; watching as he followed the young woman's movements across the tarmac. It was no surprise to him that the man was concerned about the strain the young woman was putting on herself. He'd known the minute he saw them together the day Swagger had come to the office that it was only a matter of time before the two ended up together. Something told him the only reason they hand't yet was because of Eden's stubborn nature.

Some would say that strong instant attractions never lasted. Especially those created in stressful situations. But things were a little different when it came to a family full of special forces people. They were taught to deal with stress on a daily basis without letting emotions get in the way.

Plus there was the little fact that he knew his daughter very well; saw the looks she gave the man when she thought no one was looking. Saw how she tried to hide how much his prescense affected her. How she faught hard against the emotions inside of her. Every single one of his sons had done it before giving in and allowing themselves to be happy.

That was all he'd ever wanted for his only girl and he believed the recon solider could give that to her. He'd been the one to do a complete and deep cover background check on the young man before agreeing to bring him on. Knew he was loyal and honorable to a fault. That he'd fought like hell to bring his spotters body back with him. Which to the older man meant he would never leave any of them behind; least of all Eden.

He just hoped her stubbroness and broken heart didn't get in the way of her one true chance at happiness.

"How're you holding up son?" Charles questioned.

"Okay sir; a little tired but nothing I can't manage." Swagger assured.

"Regretting your decision to help us?" Charles grinned.

"No sir." Swagger shook his head. "Just gotta get my body use to the routine again."

"You know if you're going be casting longing looks at my daughter you should probably call me Charles." The older man informed.

Using every ounce of control he had to keep his mouth from hanging open Swagger cursed his self for not keeping closer tabs on the way he acted when the young woman was around. He'd thought he'd been doing a pretty good job. Then again he'd forgotten exactly what kind of family he was dealing with.

Lying seemed like a good idea until he saw the raised eyebrow the older man was giving him. As if daring him to say anything but the truth to his face. Knowing he vauled his life; as well as his job he decided to face it head on. Figuring it would be better to get how he felt out in the open. To know whether or not he should just forget about pursing anything with the young woman here and now.

"I'd feel more comfortable calling you Mr. Blackmore for now." Swagger confessed. "And as far as Eden's concerned; yes I do have feelings for her. It seems strange in such a short amount of time but I'm not about to let them fall to the way side regardless of what you or anyone else in your family may think. I believe she deserves a chance at happiness and I want to be the one to try to give it to her."

Conviction in every word he said he was trembling on the inside as he finished speaking the young marine stood with bated breath. Look on the patriarchs face unreadable as he stood with arms crossed over his chest; as if pondering over what he said.

"Are you done?" Charles finally spoke.

Wind knocked out of his sails by the mans reaction Swagger slumped his shoulders in response. "Um, yeah."

"Thank god." Charles sighed. "Now as much as I'd love to stand here and give you some long speech about not hurting my daughter or I'll kill you I'm too tired for that and so are you. Plus I know you don't need it anyway."

"No words of wisdom either?" Swagger couldn't help but add.

"Other then to give her time; no." Charles shook his head. "Now go get on the plane and get the hell out of here before I change my mind."

Giving a mock salute he ducked out of the hangar before the man threw a waded up piece of paper at his head; trusting the mans aim would be scary accurate. Noticing the engines running; lights on and ready to go he quickened his pace to head up the stairs into the main part of the cabin before Eden closed the door on him.

"Planning on leaving without me?" Swagger wondered.

Chills going up her spine as his pearly whites flashed the young woman mentally shook herself before answering. "The thought crossed my mind a time or two but I decided against it."

"You're not becoming a softy on me are you?" Swagger slipped off his jacket; laying it on one of the five high backed leather arm chairs dotting the cabin.

"Hell no." Eden headed towards the back of the plane. "Picking on Chris and Todd get's old after a while. I need fresh blood."

"Glad I could be of help." Swagger assured

Shaking his head at her bow of thanks he took a moment to take in his surroundings; letting a smile grace his face as he thought about his good fortune once again. How he'd ended up with a job anyone who was special forces would kill for. Feeling like he was a part of something great; something lasting for the first time in his life.

Decorated in cream and dark brown there were two long couches positioned on either side of the cabin; three windows above them. A short hallway with four doors took up the rest of the cabin. One he guessed was a bathroom; the others he could only guess at. Moghany tables were positioned for easy access to a lab top or any kind of paperwork one would need to look over.

Opposite end was the cockpit; door slightly ajar so that they could get to it in a hurry in case of an emergency. Two travel size fridge/freezers allowed for drinks and other neccessities to be stored. Three flat screen monitors were mounted on the wall right before the hallway; each one just slightly smaller then the one before it.

From what he'd been told there was a weapons storage in between the couch on the right side and one of the chairs. They had plans to show him where all the little hidings places were for certain things should the need arise for him to have to use them.

At the moment however he was more worried about making sure Eden got some much needed rest. Opening his mouth to say something to that affect he was stopped when Chris popped his head out of the cockpit; telling them to get settled in for take off. Nerves getting the best of him for the first time that night he took a couple of deep breaths as he felt the plane start to taxi down the runway.

"You okay there cowboy?"

Hearing the young SEAL's calming voice above the roaring of his blood in his ears he tried to plaster a smile on his face no matter how fake it may look. To act as if you were about to hurl up your lungs when the woman next to you was as relaxed as someone getting a massage would not be good news for the boys only club.

"Fine; just not that fond of flying is all." Swagger waved if off as best he could.

"No worries; Chris and Todd are some of the best." Eden assured.

Lo and behold she was right; not even ten minutes after they took off Chris came back; settling his lanky frame down into the chair next to him. Having let go of the death grip he had on the leather arm moments ago Swagger was able to retain some of his dignity in front of the other man.

"I have some good news for you two." He informed.

"Rebecca finally made you grow up and get rid of all your G.I. Joes?" Eden guessed.

At the mention of the woman the gunnery sergeant surmised was the mans wife a loving smile graced his lips even as he took his sister in a choke hold. It was that kind of affection between a family that made him wish his parents had had at least one more child.

"For your information those are collector's items." Chris reminded. "And no; but we are going to be vectoring off to Houston to pick her up."

"And us having to deal with you being all lovely dovey with her because it's been weeks since you've seen each other is benefiting to us how?" Eden inclined her head.

"Just because you have a non existant love life don't boo those of us who do." Chris stuck his tounge out at her.

Watching as she dodged the hand he tried to place on her head to ruffle the hair she'd finally taken out of the braid Swagger could see the breif flicker of sadness in her eyes before she closed them. Leaning against the head rest; relaxing for the first time in the last couple of hours.

Knowing he couldn't sit there staring at her the rest of the flight; feeling exhaustion over take him as it had tried to do many times before he stood; going over to where she now looked to be fast asleep. Reaching out he laid a hand on her shoulder; gently shaking her as he whispered her name.

Never in a deep sleep after a mission like they'd just been on she could feel someone's precesnce hovering over her. Body tensing without showing it she lashed out out of reflex; grabbing a hold of the marines wrist before he got the chance to blink. Unfourtanetly she'd forgotten about the slight injury on her side; the same one that arm she'd used to stop his hand was on. Hissing despite her urge to not want to she quickly covered it up by opening one eye to see a concerned Gunnery Sergeant staring at her.

"Try doing that again and you're liable to have a broken hand." She smiled despite the pain knifing through her side.

Ignoring her attempt at trying to be glib he gently pulled her to her feet; tugging a little bit harder when she resisted. Moving aside her jacket he lifted her shirt to reveal a four inch gash on her perfect flesh; dried blood around the edges. From the redness and puckering of it the wound had been that way for quite some time. More then likely suffered when she'd told them to leave her behind in the club.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Swagger whispered.

"I've had worse." Eden shrugged. "Besides we had more pressing issues to deal with."

"But it looks like it's infected." Swagger argued. "Which means the guy who did it was using a rusty knife. Getting it taken care of right off is better then waiting."

Breaking the man's embrace she went to one of the built in cabinets next to the couch. Pushing slightly on the pannel she let it slide back before reaching in to grab ahold of the camoflouge bag. Fuse normally long it seemed to be shorter and shorter as the night and lack of sleep wore on. Tossing it to him a little harder then she probably should have she headed towards the bathroom.

"It's a full field medical kit; everything you need should be there." She sniped. "As soon as I get out of the shower you can fix me up doc."

Always one to push the issue when it was better left where it was he disguarded the object to grab ahold of her arm once again. Mean simmering just behind her blue eyes he couldn't understand why she was acting like this. All he was was concerned for her safety and nothing more. She was acting as if he wanted to hog tie her and shove her into a closet where she'd be safe until this whole mess was over. Something that had actually crossed his mind a time or two.

"Is there a reason why your acting like an ass when all I am is concerned for your health and safety?" Swagger shot back.

Cocking back the chamber she caught the bullet that popped out; locking it back in the magazine with the rest before depositing the weapon in the lock box now jutting from the wall. Pushing it back in she put her pass code in to seal it shut unless otherwise needed. That done she thought she was calmed down enough to face him until she saw the attitude and mean running across his handsome brow.

"Because I thought you'd actually let it slide instead of going all over protective macho male on me like the rest of them." Eden answered. "Guess I was wrong to think otherwise."

"No; you weren't." Swagger reminded. "But I think you're going a little bit over board with the grouchiness."

"You wouldn't understand why I'm acting this way even if I explained it to you…." Eden waved him off.

"Try me." Swagger crossed his arms over his chest.

Leaving her seabag on the table she settled her body down onto the arm of the couch. Everyday it seemed like she was considerably older than her thirty-two years; at least where her bones were concerned. Big case of the uglies having flared up when he started his whole macho male act on her it was lost as he stood there defiant; waiting to hear what she had to say.

"For fourteen years of my life I fought the same war they did. Trudged through the same jungles and deserts covered in muck and mud; sometimes my own blood." Eden spoke. "Commanded and held the lives of five or six men in the palm of my hands. Been in the thick of it with the bullet holes to prove it and still they treat me like a puny girl who can't take care of herself."

"Only because they care about you." Swagger tried to remind her.

"While that's all well and good there's a difference between being caring and overbearing and protective." Eden headed back towards the bathroom again.

"Look I'm no expert but from what I've gathered you loved the SEAL's." Swagger pointed out. "Something serious had to have happened in order to make you resign your commission."

"That's a story for another time." Eden informed. "Bottom line I'm sick of them hovering; of constantly thinking I can't take care of myself. Just because I left the teams doesn't mean I'm no longer the same person I was before."

"Being in the special forces changes every one at least a little bit." Swagger stepped towards her.

Putting a hand up to stop him as he reached as if to put her in an embrace Eden gave a sad smile as she realized this conversation had turned from one subject to another. To a time almost two years ago when she'd thought that wasn't possible. Until her world seemed to fall out from underneath her.

"You're right about that." She whispered. "It made me a killer with a conscious. Unable to escape my past and the things I've done."


	14. Chapter 14

Holy crap…A whopping three chapters in a row.

I think that's a record for me lately J

A huge thanks again to those who have taken time out of their to read, review, or both.

Enjoy!

I own nothing dealing with Shooter.

**Chapter Thirteen**

Taking a shower and getting some clean clothes definetly made a person feel like new.

Wrapping the soft robe around herself she had to admit that she was glad her parents had decided to spring for the modified version of the jet currently crusing through the air at thirty thoushand feet.

At first she'd thought it a bit ridiculous to have such a luxury plane when they were just flying from one state to another or transporting clients short distances. Then her father had reminded her that safety was as much a part of their job as image. High paying people such as the ones they protected not to mention government contractors wanted to know that they took pride in every aspect of their firm.

Not to mention that personally she liked having an actual shower to use and bed to sleep in instead of sitting up right in the back of a cargo plane with the engines making your eardrums pratically bleed. Being able to have plush carpet under her bare feet as she walked from the bathroom to bedroom instead of combat boots or metal.

Rummaging in her seabag she pulled out her usual uniform of jeans, t-shirt, and hooded sweatshirt. Quickly dressing she reached back in to find her toiletry bag and felt her hand hit something a lot harder. Closing her fingers around it she came to find the black box she always carried around in the palm of her hand. Gingerly sitting down on the edge of the bed she opened it to reveal her SEAL insignia; settled in the pristine velvet backing.

Memories both good and bad flashed across her vision. Of a time not so long ago when she'd had two families. One she could come home to and one she spent sometimes the worst hours of her life with. And the best. Men who'd seen her as their commander and friend. As someone who would do anything for them; including laying her own life on the line. Those who thought otherwise only had to ask to see the scars as proof that she was true to her word.

Closing the case she gently set it aside as she finished getting ready; feeling a certain freshly treated scar straining against it's stitches. Tears welling up; not due to pain but rather how ashamed she was of herself she willed them back as she re-zipped her bag.

The men she'd been thinking about moments ago would look at her like she had two heads for her small outburst against Swagger earlier. They knew her as a level headed problem solver who had probably one of the longest fuses a person could possibly have. Despite lack of sleep or stress she wouldn't have lashed out at the man for something that was a family problem. Especially when he'd only been trying to help.

Knowing there was only one way to make things right she threw her hair up in a messy ponytail as she made her way out into the main cabin area; more then willing to let her pride take a back seat in order to apologize to the man she'd come to respect and care about more then seemed normal in such a short time.

Unwilling to take the other bedroom away from her brother Chris so he could get some sleep before seeing his wife the stubborn as hell gunnery sergeant had taken the long couch after scrubbing off in the shower. Smiling to herself as she saw him sprawled out on his back; one hand on his chest the other above his head she decided to wait. Having only been in the air for about four hours the sleep was something they both desperately needed.

Placing the blanket that had been draped over said piece of furniture onto the man currently snoring she just shook her head before taking a seat in one of the arm chairs across from him. Reaching over she gently pushed one of the side panels in; hearing a slight swoosh as it moved aside to reveal an encrypted lab top.

Once it was powered up she went through several screens; entering codes as she went to get past the security features. The three computer techs they had working for them were some of the best in the world; having worked for the NSA and several other agencies before putting their; how do you say; hacking skills to the test for a company that wasn't going to censor how they got their information as long as it was obtained.

Just settled back in the seat; getting ready to look over the first piece of information that had popped up on the screen Eden felt a slight jar in the plane. On the offensive she waited for it to happen again; sitting up a little in her seat. When it didn't she sat back to read on.

Three pages in it happened hard enough to throw her forward and almost dump the computer onto the floor. Catching it before it smashed to pieces on the carpet she was about to wake Swagger up when Chris burst through the door from the cockpit; effectively causing the sniper to bolt up right; hand going to the gun he'd put back on after his shower.

"What the hell is going on?" She questioned her brother.

"We're having some engine trouble; nothing major." Chris tried to make his voice sound as calm as possible.

"I thought you guys did a pre-flight check before we took off." Swagger now fully awake asked from the couch.

"And nothing was out of the ordinary." Chris explained. "None of the instruments are registering anything but normal."

"Then how do you know we're having engine problems?" Swagger was confused.

"Because Todd was a pilot before joining special forces." Eden answered. "He knows planes like the back of his hand."

"How far away are we from Houston?" Swagger wondered.

"About fifteen minutes or so." Chris informed. "We've already radioed the small airport we're planning on landing at to tell them what's going on. Dad knows too and him and mom are standing by to wait for news."

"Are we going to make it?" Eden wanted to know.

Lying to his sister was not something he liked to do; but at the moment it seemed like the best option in this situation. While he knew she was a strong woman that could handle anything something had broken in her over the last couple of days. What he wasn't sure but didn't want to test how much more she could take before she completely lost it. Then he saw the look of determination on her face; the set of her jaw and knew that if he messed with her she would kick his ass.

"Honestly I'm not sure; Todd's a damn good pilot but without knowing what exactly is going on it's hard to say." Chris responded. "But I'd strap in just in case. I'm going to stay up there with him. I want both of you to put these headsets on so we can communitcate."

Taking the wireless earpiece he gave them Swagger tried to stop his self from hyperventilating as he took a seat next to Eden in one of the armchairs; securing the seatbelt before turning to the woman in question.

Despite the seriousness of the situation she looked as calm as can be. As if they were talking about nothing more then some bad weather then a plane high in the air that could crash just minutes away from their destination because something was wrong with it that no one could figure out. Feeling what he was coming to call the metal death trap dip again he closed his eyes; tightening his grip on the arm of the chair.

Seconds later he felt a warm; firm grip on his forearm and turned to see Eden smiling at him with as much reassuance as she could give considering she had no idea how the scenario was going to work out.

"Don't worry cowboy; everythings going to be fine." She waved it off. "Just going to be a bumpy ride is all."

"I'm glad you have such faith in your brothers." He spoke. "Because I'm reserving my judgement until we land safely on firm ground."

"To each his own." Eden understood. "But seems how we have nothing to do but wait there is something I'd like to discuss with you."

Not sure it was something he wanted to hear but thankful for the distraction he turned in his seat the best he could considering the restraint from the belt. Though she'd been willing to let him clean and stitch up the cut before hopping in the shower things had been less then ambicale between them.

While he couldn't blame her for it he also couldn't believe why she would think of herself as a killer and nothing more. Granted they took lives; it was the way of the special forces world; it took a strong person to do what they did. To put their lives on the line knowing there was the possibility they'd have to take someone elses in return.

"And what would that be?" He questioned.

"To aplogize for my behavior earlier." Eden informed. "I acted like a child when all you were trying to do was help. Just because I have a problem with the way my brothers act towards me doesn't mean I should take it out on you."

Reaching over he took a hold of her hand; twining their fingers together before giving it a squeeze. Maybe it was the fact that they didn't know if the plane was going to have to make an emergency landing; if they were going come out alive but he felt a slight shift in her demanor. As if she was more open to what everyone else knew was forming between them then she had been a couple of hours ago. Of course it could be the slight panic attack that he was trying to ward off that made him do what he did next. In the moment no one ever knew exactly why they acted; it was just an impluse to do so because you never knew what the next moment could bring.

Leaning over he placed his lips on hers; keeping the kiss feather light despite the urge to deepen it. It was just enough to have her skin against his for the second time in one day. Pulling back he saw her eyes slowly open; softening as she looked at him. As if seeing him in a new light for the first time since they'd met.

"You're an incredible woman in something that's unfouratanetly still a mostly male world." He spoke. "It's understandable for you to get upset when people treat you like you can't handle yourself. But know this…if I ever start to act like that it's because I care about you. Somehow you've gotten under my skin with you're ying and yang personality. And I have no intention of letting you go."

Getting ready to ask what he meant by that the plane took a huge dip; throwing them both forward in their seats before lurching to the right. Feeling her stomach go up into her throat Eden pushed it back as she could feel Tood fighting to level the huge aluminum casket out. Inwardly flinching at her choice of words she decided as the plane dipped once again that she wasn't going to sit here and wait for them to come out of the cockpit to tell them they were utterly fucked. Head sets or not.

Unbuckling herself she slowly stood; remembering all the times she'd been on one plane or another. Going with movement rather then fighting it made walking that much easier. In more time then she would've liked she finally reached the small door; grabbing the handle to open it when she saw another hand come overtop of hers.

"What are you doing?" She questioned Swagger.

"As much as I hate flying do you really think I'm going to sit back there all by myself when this thing is doing the in air cha cha?" He raised a brow.

"Fine; just hold onto something." Eden ordered. "The last thing we need is one of us breaking a bone when we take a tumble."

Flinging open the door though she'd tried to be as gentle as possible about it she saw both Chris and Todd fighting to keep the plane steady as it dipped yet again. Though she'd flown on plenty of planes before she knew next to nothing when it came to the mechanics of it all. Didn't know which switch would put the landing gear down or dump all the fuel. But from the way her brothers were frantically flipping one after another; tweeking this and that something told her it couldn't be good. Especially when Todd turned to her with a frown to end all frowns.

"What the hell are you guys doing up here?" He growled. "Get back into the cabin and strap yourselves in."

"I don't think so because the next time this thing decides to do a belly flop my stomach might actually end up in my lap." Swagger informed.

"Then strap it into the seat next to you if you have to but get your ass back there." Todd didn't even look away from the insturment panel as he spoke. "I'll make it an order if I have to."

"This isn't the Rangers bro; you can't pull rank." Eden reminded. 'Now are we going to make it to Houston or not?"

"Honestly sis I don't know." Todd confessed. "Whatevers going on has affected everything. There's no control over the flaps, the landing gear won't go down and the radio is out. I've been trying to send out a mayday to Little Creek airport for the last ten minutes but nothing. I don't even know if the first transmission I sent to the airfield went out."

"What about the one to mom and dad?" Eden wondered.

"I called them with my cell phone so yeah." Chris answered for his older brother. "Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll call Little Creek for us."

"Isn't there some kind of manual signal you can send out just in case?" Swagger questioned.

"The only manual control I have is for the landing gear." Todd answered.

Watching as he gritted his teeth; forearms straining as he fought to keep the plane level the young SEAL felt scared for the first time in her life. Somehow someway their plane had been sabotaged to the point where both her brothers had been unable to find anything on their pre-flight check. Which also told her that they were better then good; something that did not bode well for their side of the team.

Just when her brain started working overtime with all the scenarios of how this could end **very **badly the plane did a downward dive again. Throwing herself and Swagger against the door hard enough to burst it open. Getting ready to brace herself she felt a pair of strong arms around her waist. Felt the impact of the floor hurt just a little bit less with the snipers body cradling her own.

Seconds later; as her senses started to orient themselves once again she heard her brother swearing under his breath as he fought yet again to level the plane. By her calculations they only had five minutes; maybe; before they either crashed or landed safely.

"Are you okay?" Swagger questioned.

Finding it extremely crazy that in the middle of their possible death experience she was very aware of the hard planes of his body underneath hers Eden pushed it aside. At the moment she was more worried about not meeting her grandparents in the next life anytime soon. Unfourtanetly it was easier said than done as she felt her heart skip a beat at the smoldering look her gave.

"Yeah." Voice sounding a little breathless. "If you wanted a hug all you had to do was ask."

Glad she was able to have a sense of humor despite the seriousness of the situation the marine was finding it hard to do much of anything at the moment. The panic attack he was trying hard to hide combined with the feel of her lean body against his was making it difficult to form coherent sentences. Fact that there was the possibility they could plummet to their deaths brought home how much he was attracted to her. Both physically and otherwise. Of course there was the little part about him really hating Johnson and his men at the moment.

"Maybe I wanted another kiss but was afraid you'd deck me." Swagger countered.

"If I didn't the first time what makes you think I would now?" Eden shot back.

"As much as I hate to interupt the love fest you've got going on I need you to get back in the cabin and strap in." Todd interjected. "And there's no room for argument."

Both pushing aside feelings they'd gotten very good at hiding the SEAL and marine obeyed the older mans orders.

No sooner did they have the buckle fastened than the plane took another dive. This time straight down; headed for the pavement and lights of the runway she could see through her window. Hearing both her brothers swearing up a storm Eden reached out to grab Swaggers hand. Knowing beyond any reasonable doubt that she didn't want to die.

Whether it be because they still needed to take Johnson down or because she'd finally realized that life could be better. That people wouldn't judge her on her past history. On what she'd done or the lives lost because of it.

Last thing she remembered before Chris told them to hang on. As the marine pulled her to him; using his body as cover that if she died there'd be hell to pay for those she haunted. Because now that she'd found something to fight for; even if she wasn't sure she **wanted **to fight; meant she wasn't going down easy.


	15. Chapter 15

**Finally another chapter has come to life! Thank you to all those who have been patiently waiting for me to update. Life isn't always kind to those of us who have the urge to get our ideas on paper…so to speak.**

**Reviews and comments are always welcome. Thank you to all those who have read, reviewed, or both.**

**I own nothing dealing with the movie Shooter or any others mentioned.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Fourteen**

World fuzzy as it stared to form around him the marine shook his head slightly. Realizing that wasn't such a hot idea when it felt like a spike was being driven through his temple. Several seconds passed before he was able to move again. In that time he realized that the pain meant he hadn't had an untimely death after all.

Not to mention he definitely didn't like what he saw.

Plane tipped to one side it looked to still be intact. Lights of the runway giving the cabin an eerie glow as he searched to make sure everyone was okay. Unable to see Todd and Chris through the open cockpit door he reached to unbuckle his seatbelt. Feeling a pain shoot up his arm as he did so. Meaning it was severely bruised but not broken or dislocated.

Slowly standing he waited for his head to permanently stop spinning before moving forward to check on the two men. Both slumped against their seats; the older of the two had a cut on his forehead. Chris a bruise on his cheek but after checking for a pulse and seeing the steady rise and fall of their chests knew they'd be okay.

Afraid of moving them too far for fear of any possible internal injuries he unbuckled them one at a time. Laying each next to their seats so that when they woke up it wouldn't be completely painful.

Once his obligation to make sure they were okay was full filled the sniper headed back into the cabin to check on the one person he was most concerned about. Having covered her body with his just before the impact in an attempt to prevent her from harm he hoped his weight hadn't done the opposite by causing more damage.

From the way he'd come to and her body currently slumped to the left; head pushed back against the seat it hadn't done a damn bit of good. Heart practically in his throat as he knelt down in front of her. Pushing the button to release her belt he realized after several attempts that it wasn't going to budge.

Knife still attached to his belt he made quick work of the nylon strap; catching her body as it slumped forward. Gently placing her on the floor he checked both her pulse and breathing. Taking a huge one of his own when he realized she was still with them. Seeing the cut on her forehead he knew he had to wake her up. Make sure she didn't have a concussion.

Carefully shaking her shoulders he waited a couple of seconds before trying again. With each passing second that she didn't wake up he got more worried that she'd knocked her head a lot harder then a mere bump.

"Eden…." He used her name yet again. "EDEN!" Swagger said a little louder when there was still no response.

Heart getting ready to leap into his throat when there was still nothing he had his cell phone out and open; hand poised to dial an ambulance when the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard came from the young woman's lips.

"Next time you need to wake me up yelling once will do."

Device forgotten as he knelt down next to her; reaching to help her to a sitting position he felt tears well up behind his eyes for the first time in he didn't even know how long. Seeing her like that; not knowing if she was breathing or even alive had scared him more than bullets flying over his head ever had. A feeling he'd never face with another person before; not even his spotter. Frankly it freaked him the hell out at the same time it camphorated him.

"Sometimes you're like a man with your selective hearing so I just wanted to make sure." Swagger joked to ward off the jitters.

Head feeling like it was going to explode right off her body the solider slowly stood; stitches on her side straining painfully. Once she had her bearings enough to stand without the gunnery sergeants help she pulled up her sweatshirt; not happy to see blood on her light green t-shirt. Getting the slow bleeding to stop was the least of her worries at the moment.

Along with the urge for her brain to run screaming from her skull her left shoulder felt like a dead weight which meant some time during the crash she'd hit it hard enough to dislocate it. Though it could easily be popped back in she wasn't looking forward for the gut wrenching pain that was sure to follow.

Stilling her movements when she started to sway; thankful for Swaggers arm around her waist her gaze landed on the cabin and all her pain was forgotten.

"Todd! Chris!" Eden exclaimed.

Movements shaky at best it was bad enough trying to make it from her position in the cabin to the cockpit with two good arms and the plane upright. With it titled the way it was; her one limb basically useless the going was slow at best. Surprised there weren't wires hanging from the ceiling; a small fire some where she took it as a testament to her oldest brothers piloting skills. However she did notice with a quick glance out the window that the right wing was broken in half; other part of it god only knows where.

Eternity later she finally reached them just as Todd was starting to come around. Reaching out to try to help him up she thought better of it; knowing that he'd realize she was only using one arm. Instead she knelt down in front of him; Swagger doing the same as Chris started to rouse.

"Bro I think dad was right; you are getting a little rusty." The younger man winced.

"Glad to see your lovely comedic timing is still intact." Todd grimaced.

"Dude what happened?" Swagger questioned. "I was expecting this thing to be in a thousand pieces."

"Once I told you two to get strapped in I had Chris manually put down the landing gear." The older man recalled. "After that it was just a matter of keeping it straight enough to land on the runway instead of the freakin' jingweed."

"Considering the condition the planes in I think you did a damn good job." Swagger commented.

"Do you think mom and dad got the message you left them about us going down?" Eden made to stand.

Choosing to ignore the fact that she struggled to get up with just one arm; the other pinned tightly to her chest; something he knew the other men had noticed as well; Todd prayed to god they had. By some miracle of chance they'd been sparred from any major damage or injury. Well some of them had anyway.

Younger brother clutching his side; no pain on his face as was expected. Woman that so was much like their father it was scary not wanting anyone to know that she was injured helping them both gather anything they didn't want left on the air craft while they waited for the huge flatbed that was going to have to be brought in made him want to blow a nut.

Sometimes he swore she had a death wish. Like she was **still** punishing herself for what had happened all those years ago. As much as he wanted to call her out on it right then and there they had more pressing issues to deal with.

Like what the fuck had been done to the plane to make it go haywire without the instruments registering a god damn thing. While trying to keep the plane from crashing to the ground in a fiery ball he'd thought of everything and anything that would cause that kind of malfunction. They'd done a complete systems check on the vehicle before take off. Everything had checked off without a problem.

Then they'd been on final approach and things had gone to shit. It'd taken all the training and strength he possessed to keep it in the air while making sure his other passengers were strapped in for the bumpy ride.

"I hope so." Todd sighed. "Right now I'm more worried about getting this thing off the runway and into a hangar so one of our technicians can go through it wire by wire."

"You have aviation techs on your staff?" Swagger was awestruck.

Realizing they had forgotten to mention the many different expertise some of the people who worked with them possessed the oldest Blackmoore brother hefted one of the duffels containing their computers as he guided them out of the tipsy airplane.

"Just two; both ex air force; but they're the best at what they do." Chris answered.

Wanting to ask more but knowing that his brain wouldn't be able to handle it the scout sniper just shook it off. Concentrating instead on helping two of the Blackmoore children get all of the equipment off the plane and onto the tarmac while Todd called for a wrecker as well as transport.

There was no telling how much was kept on the laptops stored in secret compartments in the cabin. Not to mention until they found out exactly what had happened it was best to trust no one outside of the firm.

"The cavalry is going to be here in ten minutes." Todd informed. "Make sure we have all our portable equipment. Eden can you wipe out the memory for the built in screens without the plane running?"

"They have back up batteries that last about two hours. It should be enough but after that you're going to need another power supply to run them." She answered.

"Good enough for me." Todd agreed. "Chris and I will finish gathering the rest; take Swagger to help you."

Opening his mouth to remind the older man that he knew next to nothing about how to wipe the hard drive on computers as high tech as those; let alone at all he instantly shut it when he saw the 'we'll talk later look' that crossed his face. Apparently he wasn't the only one who'd noticed she'd gotten more than a bump on the head.

Turning Eden made sure her brothers were out of ear and eye shot before she focused on the gunnery sergeant. To think that he was clueless as to the fact that her shoulder had been dislocated would be completely stupid on her part. Now came the time to convince him to help her put it back into place without saying a word to her brothers. Even though they no doubt knew it was not a conversation she wanted to have right now.

"You already know what I'm going to ask so will you help me or go tell my brother and have them take me to the hospital?" She questioned.

Knowing they had bigger things to deal with then a shoulder that could easily be fixed didn't make his decision about what to do any easier. If he didn't say anything and the two guys currently packing away gear would strangle him. But if he did Eden would try killing him with one arm; and succeed. Personally he believed that having the other two mad at him was better than the SEAL being pissed off.

"I'll help you." Swagger agreed. "But if after a couple of days it doesn't get any better you get yourself to a hospital or so help me god…"

"You'll hog tie and drag me there." Eden interrupted. "Yeah, yeah. I get it."

"I'm serious E." Swagger growled. "Despite my better judgment I'm doing this because I don't want to be another overprotective male in your life. But the last thing we need right now is you out of commission."

Wanting to know what he wished his place was in her life the young woman didn't have time to get into the heavy stuff. Her arm needed to be set and the plane wiped of any sensitive information before they took it to the hangar to be taken apart piece by piece.

"Fine; help me get these computers taken care of first." She said instead. "We need to make sure there's absolutely nothing left on them when it gets picked up. It's gonna be at least a couple of hours before our techs can get here."

"Isn't there security at the hangars?" Swagger ignored the fact that she was putting the mission before herself. That was for another time.

"Yeah but we had an even better set up back at our place and look what happened." Eden reminded.

"So it's at the trust no one and nothing point?" Swagger realized.

Stuffing one more lab top into the black duffle before zipping it closed she wished she could tell him otherwise but knew it would not only be lying to him but herself as well. The shit had gotten real deep real quick and was only going to get worse. Johnson and his men were not people to dick around. When they wanted something bad enough; such as all of them dead or Swagger to work for them; they'd stop at nothing to make sure it happened.

Incident with the plane could be something completely unrelated but it was better to be safe then sorry. Business they were in there was no such things as coincident. The two were related; problem was figuring out how someone had managed to by pass the state of the art security system they had surrounding the hangar.

"Guys the transport vehicles headed down the tarmac." Chris came back inside the plane. "We need to have everything off here in the next two minutes."

"I've only got one more left." Eden assured. "Help him with the two bigger bags. I'll bring out the smaller one when I'm done."

"Are you sure?" Swagger questioned.

"My brothers are going to need an extra set of eyes out there to make sure everything's on the up and up." Eden informed. "I'll be out there before you even know I'm gone."

Not liking it but keeping his mouth shut and agreeing one the less Swagger did as she asked; making it out onto the tarmac with Chris in enough time to see the red tractor trailer with it's huge flatbed come to a stop. Lights cutting through what was left of the pre-dawn darkness. Setting his bags down next to the ones Michael had already brought out the Marine hoped they'd be out of here soon. Getting to the bottom of just what the hell had happened was on the top of every single one of their to do list.

If it wasn't for the fact that they'd discounted the guys that attacked them at the club the young man would hedge a bet that the two situations happening with in a twenty four hour period of each other was no coincidence. Of course given the entire scenario as well as the people they were up against it wouldn't be a stretch to think otherwise. Things were headed south real quick; something none of them was fond of.

"Is it just me or does this whole situation scream inside job?" Swagger decided to voice what every one else was thinking.

"Normally I'd tell you to bite your tongue but nothing about this assignment has been cut and dry." Todd agreed.

Final bag over her good shoulder Eden joined the three men as the plane was being hooked up to the massive crane. Crew of five going about what ever it was they had to do to make sure the heavy vehicle was loaded properly and in the one piece that was still left. Not having to hear what the conversation had been about to know that the thoughts running through all their heads was something every single one of them dreaded it couldn't be helped.

When you worked in this line of work it was all about keeping things secret; about keeping things close to the vest to avoid any kind of leaks. Sad part was when you recruited people to help you fight those who wanted to oppress others; whether they be fellow Americans or residents of a third world country who had no one else to fight their war; you trusted your instincts to tell when something was off. To give you some kind of warning sign that a person was up to no good.

In the end when it came down to the nitty gritty no one who was current or ex-special forces wanted to believe that their instincts had let them down. That all the reports and background checks in the world had stopped them from seeing that someone would eventually become a traitor to their cause and ultimately their country. A wound to your pride when that operative had been hand picked by you.

Right now all those in her family were sharing the same misery; the same blame. Those who worked for the company that were not related had been hand picked by one or more of them. Making anything that happened as a result of them being part of the team a reasonability that was going to be shared alone or as a whole.

"We need to get a hold of dad as soon as possible." Michael spoke up. "Have them run a check on the where abouts of everyone working for the firm in the last two weeks."

"Including you guys?" Swagger raised a brow.

"Including us." Eden confirmed.

Unable to believe what he was hearing the marine felt the urge to shake his head to clear the cobwebs that could still possibly be there from the crash. Knowing that the circumstances of this case had gone from bad to worse in the blink of an eye he understood the need to go to such drastic lengths but couldn't get his brain to comprehend it all.

"I'm not sure how to say this other then the shit's gotten real deep real fast hasn't it?" Swagger whispered.

Holding her injured arm to her side the youngest of the Blackmoore clan tried desperately to not let how much she was scared out of her mind show. Going into this every single one of them had know that it could go south faster then they could spit. Running a check on those working for the firm including themselves was the last step to find out just what the hell was going on. Plan crashing facilitating such a leap.

"And it's showing no sign of letting up." Eden turned to him. "So the only thing we can do it pray that no one drowns."

Taking out his cell phone as Todd hopped in the cab of the tractor trailer to escort the plane safely to the hangar bay where it would be kept for the night Michael hoped prayer was all it would take to keep them safe. Because as with human nature greed; or fear; had gotten the best of someone. Whether they be a member of their firm or associated with someone who was his family was in danger. A scenario none of them would stand for.

"Dad…" The youngest son spoke once the older man picked up. "Yeah were all fine; a little banged up but good. Listen…it's time to pull out all the stops…"


End file.
